Wooden Cylinders and Red Herrings
by Gloria Underhill
Summary: COMPLETE! Kagome gets cursed and the group tries to find out who did it before they gain control. it's a mystery, try guess who and why.
1. Kagome's Bad Day

This takes place three days after Kagome gets back with the gang after the first Kouga incident, but I think I expressed that pretty well in the story.

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Disclaimer: I don't own InuYasha or any characters there in.

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Kagome's Bad Day

Kagome held her nearly demolish alarm clock in one hand. How had they both gotten out of that with out apologizing? Sure InuYasha had apologized for breaking her clock but that had nothing to do with the fight. 'I guess it was progress, he did _actually_ apologize.'

She decided to be happy with that. InuYasha probably wouldn't want to bring it up again anyway…all's well that ends well, right?

She tossed the alarm clock back into her backpack and shouldered it. Today was going to be another long day of walking.

*

They were lost. There was no getting around that fact. Oh sure, InuYasha and the other animal based youkia in the group had information on the surrounding area. They could even backtrack till they knew where the hell they were. But the truth was that they didn't know now. This didn't worry the youkia much because of what they could sense about the place. The humans how ever were another story.

Miroku and Sango and Kagome were somewhat jumpy. The woods were creepy, deep and musty. There was a swamp not too far away from the road on one side and it seemed to try to cross the road intermittently to get at the relatively dry land on the other side. They _really_ wanted to be in the next town before night fell.

They had stopped for lunch, mulling over the fact that no one could fathom when the next town might pop up as they ate. The silence was oppressive, and obviously wanted to remain unbroken and the little band had no wish to raise the ire of the swamp, woods, or silence.

In the end Kagome was packing up her bag as quietly as she could when suddenly she screeched and stood faster that previously thought possible for humans. 

"AAAAAAAAEEEEEEE! Something crawled up my skirt!" she answered their shocked and, in InuYasha case pained, looks. She began to dance from one foot to the other and shake her skirt in the hopes that it would fall out without stinging or biting her.

"OW!" she stopped moving and clapped her hands over her rear, so much for that hope, "OWWWW!" she immediately released her rear. Damn thing bit her again! And harder!

Immediately after she released it the insect dropped halfway to the ground and flew off into the distance and disappeared. Not that anyone watched it that long. They all turned back to Kagome soon after it had taken flight.

"It was just a bug Kagome." Sango said helpfully.

Kagome frowned at her. "YOU try having that thing crawl up your skirt and bite you on the…" Kagome stopped, blushed and crouched down to continue packing. 

"Ow." She flinched at the twinge she felt in the vicinity of the bite.

"If it would put you mind to rest I could always have a look at the bite." Miroku offered calmly.

That innocent offer was rewarded with dirty looks from Kagome and Sango, and a murderous one from InuYasha. "Or, perhaps InuYasha would prefer to assist you?" 

InuYasha's look turned inward before quickly looking away, grumbling and no doubt blushing. At least he wasn't looking a Miroku like he wanted to rip his eyes out to prevent his "helping" Kagome.

"I'll have a look Houshi-sama." Sango said flatly.

Kagome smiled as her friend approached her, then she scowled at the males. "Turn around, and NO peeking!" 

The men turned around obediently. "It's just a bug bite" InuYasha mumbled.

"It was a large, unidentified bug InuYasha," Miroku responded. "We should be careful in this instance."

"Feh" InuYasha huffed. But his ears swiveled around to the girls when he heard the pack being riffled through and the first aid box being opened.

"All this fuss over a bug bite?" he called over his shoulder, careful not to turn around. Though he really wanted to check out the wound himself. Probably get a "SIT!" for his concern.

"Kagome has a large welt and a small chunk of skin missing, she is bleeding slightly but there is no sign of poison." Sango spoke loudly so that the boys could hear her. "I just want to be sure that it doesn't' get infected. You may turn around now." She finished putting the first aid box back in the pack.

They continued on through the woods. Eventually the road turned from the swamp and toward higher ground. A village was caught on the wind shortly after, and the groups pace quickened with enthusiasm.

They were given rooms at the local inn where they heard an interesting rumor about a creature that had suddenly gained power and began making their lives miserable.

The next morning Kagome, Miroku, Sango, Shippo and Kirara stood dumbfounded in a semi circle around a very deeply asleep InuYasha.

"Do you think that we should wake him?" Sango asked tentatively.

"He never sleeps like this. Maybe we should let him rest?" Kagome put forward.

Miroku was silent. This wasn't natural for InuYasha. Maybe the forest was more stressful then he realized for the hanyou. Still there was something odd in the air; InuYashas youki seemed… not as thick as it should be. Perhaps rest would be best.

"GET UP ITS TIME TO GET OUT OF THIS FOREST!!" Shippo yelled in InuYasha's ear.

'Or not.' Miroku sighed.

InuYasha jumped to his feet hand on his sword. "WHAT THE HELL?" he bellowed.

Shippo dodged behind Kagome and whimpered.

"It's past mid morning InuYasha," Kagome said quietly. "Are you Ok?"

InuYasha blinked several times and looked out the window. Sure enough, the sun was quiet high in the sky already. "Uh, yeah, lets… get going then." He turned slowly to the group.

They all shrugged and headed out.

*

InuYasha yawned. Again. "This is were they said we would find it."

"The creature that acquired sudden power lives here?" Kagome squeaked.

The cottage was in the middle of the deep dark woods. Moss covered everything and slime covered that. The only way to know that it was a house was by the vague shape it managed to keep in the gloom.

"Should we knock, or yell it out?" Miroku asked.

"I don't sense a jewel shard." Kagome said.

"Then lets leave." InuYasha yawned. "I'm tired of solving peoples problems for them."

"InuYasha! That's mean, we told them we would try." Kagome turned on him. "Maybe we could just ask the creature to stop eating their food all up."

Everyone gave Kagome an incredulous look. "It could happen." She said meekly.

As they stood there blinking at Kagome, the door to the big house opened and a huge large ogre ran out waving a wooden cylinder with wax covering both ends.

"I will have ultimate power over her!" He shouted and hit Kagome square across the hips, throwing her against a tree and knocked her out.

"Stay away from her!" InuYasha drew his sword and ran at the ogre.

The ogre stared wide eyed and hesitated just a moment too long. "Your youki…" was all it got out before InuYasha cut him in half.

The group ran over to Kagome, except Miroku.

"Are you Ok?" Shippo asked the slowly reviving Kagome.

"Yes," she said tentatively, "I'm Ow!" she put a had to the back of her head. "OW!" she jumped into a knelling position as her other hand flew to her rear. "OWWW." She groaned as the first hand wrapped around her lower abdomen, where she was hit. "Ugh." She moaned wrapping the second hand higher on her stomach.

"Are you Ok Kagome?" Miroku walked up holding the cylinder.

Kagome looked up at InuYasha. "I want out of these woods." Was all she said.

They agreed. Fleeing as fast as the youkia could go. It wasn't the battle, or the injures. It was the atmosphere, the constant icky feeling and agitation, as well as the fact that Kagome could barley put a foot right in this horrid place and that everything seemed to only go for her.

*

Once they had reached the edge of the forest they paused for breath. Well InuYasha did, he was still worn out for some reason.

"I think it was that forest." InuYasha panted, "Something was wrong with it."

"I'll agree with that," Sango said thoughtfully, "but none of us were effected the way you were. Maybe you should rest for a while."

InuYasha glared at her.

"I picked this off of the ogre before we left." Miroku interrupted, holding up the cylinder. "It is the weapon that ogre used on Kagome. I have never seen this wood before, and it appears to be hollow. Before he hit Kagome with it, it held a powerful magic charge. Now there is only a residue."

"Maybe the magic died with the ogre." InuYasha spat. He was still upset at how the ogre had gotten the jump on him and hurt Kagome.

"Perhaps." Miroku shook the cylinder. " There appears to be something inside. Shall we see what it is?" The group nodded and waited while Miroku peeled off the wax at one end revealing a wooden cap. Pulling that off he looked inside, feeling for magic. There was none. Not even the residue that covered the cylinder. He upended the container and a parchment scroll slid into his other hand. It had a red ribbon keeping it closed.

Miroku untied the ribbon, releasing the scroll. He opened it and blinked.

"What?" the group asked.

Miroku stared at the finally drawn and meticulously placed … wedges? What the hell kind of language is that?

"Miroku," InuYasha said warningly, "What does it say?"

"I-I don't know, I have never seen this language before." He stammered.

The group ran behind him, except for Kagome who was siting on the ground with a frightened look.

"What the hell is this?" InuYasha yelled. Then he calmed down and turned away. "What does it matter, it's dead anyway. Lets get moving, the next town is just up head."

"Um, guys?" Kagome looked up. "I can't feel my legs… and they won't move."

This got everyone's attention.

"What do you mean?" InuYasha asked squatting next to her.

"Are you hurt Kagome?" Sango knelt on her other side.

"I'm fine," She shook her head, "I just can't move my legs."

"Let's get her to the next village." Miroku was tying the ribbon around the scroll again. "This is likely to be related either to the cylinder or the bug bite."

The company walked slowly to the village. InuYasha carried Kagome on his back, though he kept a tighter grip than usual on her legs, seeking the comfort of heat and pulse that proved they were still alive.

Upon entering the village Miroku realized that he had visited this place before. In fact he was good friends with the innkeeper here, and they easily secured rooms and a meal.

"I know of a man," The innkeeper told Miroku, "That is said to have traveled Far and wide in his youth, leaving even Japan far behind him in his journeys. He may be able to tell you something about that scroll. He lives a few days travel to the north"

Miroku thanked him for his information and returned to his friends.

"Are you comfortable Kagome?" Sango asked. Kagome was leaning against her pack with her legs straight out in front of her.

"I … think so." Kagome answered weakly. The local healer had never heard the description of the bug Kagome had been bitten by, but didn't believe her condition to have been caused by the bite. It didn't offer her much comfort.

"InuYasha, what are you doing?" Sango asked suspiciously.

Quickly InuYasha removed his hand from where it had been absently stroking Kagome's leg. "I … I uh," he withdrew to the other side of the room with a, "Keh, I was just making sure her leg was still getting blood."

"Why InuYasha," Miroku chose this moment to speak up, "if you are uncomfortable with such tasks I would be willing to take them up for you."

"Touch her and die, Monk." The sentiment seemed to be echoed three times with small variation.

Miroku sighed, "However I did find a possible lead on translating the foreign scroll. My friend has recommended that we seek out a man in a village in the north."

*

A/N: This is a real mystery, but most of the suspect won't make appearances. So, What's happening to Kagome, why and who did it? If you guess any one of these correctly I will give you an honorable mention in the epilogue with what chapter you guessed by.

Out of curiosity, as this is the first chapter, who do you think the suspects are?


	2. On the Road

Disclaimer: I don't own InuYasha or any characters there in.

On the Road

The next morning the group headed out again. InuYasha had seemingly recovered fully from whatever was making him sleep. But Kagome hadn't, she was still being carried by InuYasha every where they went.

It was an uneventful walk over sparsely treed terrain. There was little conversation and much thinking among the group. At midday they stopped to rest in the shade of a lonely tree, ate lunch (Miroku cooked), and headed out again.

Around mid afternoon Kagome squeaked loudly, making the others jump. When they turned to her she said, "My legs! I can feel my legs! A _lot_!" she started giggling. She squeezed InuYasha's waist with her legs and kicked them slightly, "Put me down InuYasha!" she laughed, "That _tickles_!"

InuYasha released his hold and she slid to the ground landing in a giggling heap.

"Are you ok Kagome?" he asked.

She nodded, "Yes, it's just never tickled that much before!"

"Can you stand Kagome?" Miroku asked.

Kagome stopped laughing and tried to stand. Slowly and shakily she got to her feet. "I'm standing." She said. A big smile spread on her face and she started to hop. "I can move my legs again!"

"Kagome, maybe you should take it easy for a while." Sango suggested to the bouncing girl.

"Sango," Miroku interjected, "Kagome seems fine, if she wants to show her joy we should let her."

Kagome then noticed that Miroku was watching her, and stopped. "Well, I can walk on my own now so… lets go!"

"Feh, now that's over we can get back to the jewel." InuYasha said, continuing along the path.

"I'm not sure I agree InuYasha," Miroku jogged up to him, "look at the sun. It is about the same time that the ogre attacked the other day, is it not?"

  
"So," InuYasha huffed, "Maybe it wore off, or it was the bug."

"A twenty four hour spell? And I do not believe that a normal bug bite, especially one that causes paralysis would dissipate so quickly, InuYasha."

"Feh, whatever, we're going to your stupid town so it doesn't matter anyway." InuYasha left Miroku to walk next to Kagome, who had a defiant bounce to her step.

That night they made camp on the plain, a much happier group.

"It's weird though," Kagome said over her ramen, "I have control of my legs, but not completely."

"What do you mean Kagome?" Sango asked.

"Well, it's like I put too much …oomph behind everything."

"Oomph?" Her companions asked.

"Uh, yeah, like power or strength. Like I went to kick this stone on the road, just a little kick you know, for fun? And it flew across the road and bounced off of a tree. It almost hit Miroku! Sorry."

"I didn't notice." He responded.

"I was walking too fast too." She added sheepishly.

"Perhaps this is just a side affect of regaining the use of your legs." Miroku offered.

"Maybe…" Kagome wasn't happy. She had a feeling that this thing wasn't nearly over and that her new super legs wouldn't be lasting too long either.

*

The next day was just as monotonous, though the group was a little livelier. Kagome was keeping pace with InuYasha, though he still wasn't walking as fast as he could it was a more comfortable speed for him than usual. This caused the others to strain a little to keep up with them.

Around mid afternoon a pack of wolf youkia, the three eyed kind not the humaniod kind, attacked.

Twenty of them surrounded our heroes making the fight a little more difficult. InuYasha tore up his share with his claws. Sango used her boomerang and Kagome used her arrows. Well, one arrow, while she was loading the second her arms suddenly dropped to her sides and her bow and arrow fell to the ground. Miroku joined the fray at this point. The battle was soon over, with their combined efforts.

"Kagome! What happened?" Sango asked her frightened friend.

"My arms now," she said, "just like my legs. And my legs…" she walked away from the corpses, "they feel kinda heavy." She kicked a stone and it clattered a few feet before coming to a stop. "I think their back to normal, I'm going to miss them." Her quiver slipped from her shoulder and fell to the ground.

"It's the same time again." Miroku stated. "I believe this indicates that the scroll is the key to Kagome's condition."

"Feh, lets get moving, the village is just up ahead." InuYasha said.

*

Sorry for the short chapter, but the scroll is finally translated in the next one, sort of. Anyway, new worries and new understandings. Next chapter "Pixie Shit"


	3. Pixie Shit

Disclaimer: I don't own InuYasha or any characters there in.

A/N: I normally don't put these things at the beginning of chapters, but this time I wanted to apologize to those who has read this story before and find themselves all the way back here. I am truly sorry, please forgive me. But I realized that I left out some important stuff. No not more explanation, don't worry. Please enjoy the story and don't forget to guess ^_^

Pixie Shit

They arrived at their destination town as the sun set. They actually had to actually pay for rooms at an inn this time. But it allowed Miroku inquired about the traveler his friend had told him about.

"Whadya wanna talk ta him fer?" the innkeeper asked "Tha guys' crazy, always talkin' ta flowers n' such. Says there's some kinda foreign youkia what keeps trying ta spike the towns water supply r' sumtin'."

"Do you know where he is or not?" Miroku was losing his considerable patients with this man, he never seemed to answer a question unless to cast doubt on your intelligence, intentions, or sanity.

"Yeah, Jus' look fer the house on the east side with a whole garden of headless flowers, crazy bastard." He mumbled that last bit to himself and wandered away.

*

Midmorning the next day the group stood in front of a lone house on the edge of the village. A large patch of flowers, all without heads, stretched out around the front and sides of the house. A sign on the door read "Out gathering, back soon".

"Now what?" InuYasha crossed his arms, haughtily.

"We wait." Kagome said flatly. She was getting scared with parts of her body turning off for no reason. If this guy could help her get control back she would sit on his porch for a week.

And so they sat. Well, the humans sat on the porch, InuYasha disappeared into the trees by the road while Kirara and Shippo chased the disappointed butterflies in the strange garden.

InuYasha watched as Sango helped Kagome to drink some water. He hated this. Kagome's body was under attack and all he could do was watch. He couldn't even… _kill the thing that was doing this to her_. He couldn't comfort her like he wanted to.

Kagome sat on the porch feeling very sorry for herself; she had come to the conclusion that this was acceptable. Stuff was happening to her and she didn't know what it was! So, at least until the traveler arrived she was going to wallow in this rare state. Anyway it beats being scared all the time.

Finally, a strong and straight and very old man came walking up from the woods to the north of the village. In his arms a bundle of flower stems.

He stopped under the tree that InuYasha was currently lounging in. and looked at the group siting on his porch. "Are you looking for me?" he asked.

"Yes," Miroku stood, "we require a scroll be to translated and were told that you could help us."

"Maybe, maybe," the man walked to the porch "Come in, come in. I'm guessing the dog boy in the tree and the fire cat and fox cub in my garden are with you lot?"

"…Yes," Miroku answered, "That is InuYasha, Kirara and Shippo, I am Miroku and the ladies are Kagome and Sango."

"Kallum." Kallum added, "Best all of you come in then, won't do to have strange hanyou and youkia hanging around outside, not with my neighbors."

"Excuse me Kallum," Kagome asked him, "but why do you collect flower stems?"

Kallum blinked down at the headless stems he held, "Fuck!… I mean, darn…. She did it to me again." Dropping the bundle immediately he led the group inside.

"So what did you want from me?" He asked as they sat.

Miroku pulled out the wooden cylinder handed it to the Kallum, "We believe that this scroll could explain some unusual things that have been happening to a friend of ours."

"So Kagome is cursed and this thing had something to do with it, right?" Kallum took the cylinder and looked it over.

"Uh, right."

"Do not open until spell is in place." Kallum read off the bottom plug. "The words were etched in the wax on the bottom."

"You missed it monk." InuYasha smirked.

"I didn't recognize the language, InuYasha," Miroku defended himself, "If it wasn't on the scroll I would have dismissed it as scratches."

"No," Kallum popped the un-waxed plug out and considered the dark interior, "that was one was ours."

InuYasha's smirk gained in strength.

Kallum tipped the cylinder and the scroll fell into his hand. He untied the ribbon and unrolled it. "Hmmm." He nodded.

"What does it say?" Kagome asked anxiously.

"I don't know."

"This was all a waste of time." InuYasha jumped up.

"But it does look familiar, I have this friend…" Kallum continued.

"Let me guess, another few days journey right?" InuYasha crossed his arms and scowled.

"No…"Kallum blinked, "calm down dog boy, we'll figure out what's going on with your girlfriend."

InuYasha sputtered for a second and sat back down, shocked, he and Kagome blushed.

"How did you know-" Miroku started.

"Shut up monk!" InuYasha yelled.

"I notice things," Kallum shrugged, "your group isn't too hard to pair up. So this friend of mine, she should be close." He looked up at the ceiling, "Dusty, please grace us with your presence."

Nothing.

"Dusty I need your help…."

The others were beginning to think the innkeeper was right about him.

"HEY, PIXIE SHIT! GET YOUR ELVEN ASS DOWN HERE!"

Th-pop!

And there she was, looking every bit like fourteen-year-old girl. Except she was hovering three feet off the ground, had shimmering transparent wings, _very_ pointy ears and was wearing a short dress made of pink flower petals, really big ones. She was curled up with her arms crossed over her chest and her ankles crossed, she wore a pretty pout and her impossibly blue eyes glared at the space directly in front of her.

"If you weren't an OLD MAN, I'd turn you into a … toad!" she spat.

"You cut your hair." Kallum said, clearly unconcerned.

She unfolded her arms to run her hands through her sandy bobbed hair, "I lost a bet, stupid potions with stupid ingredients…. If that dragon fly had been just a little bit faster I … this had better be good old man Kallum, I was on my way to a party in Ireland, wanna come?" She was instantly bright and cheery.

"To a fairy party in Ireland? Would I even be able to communicate with them?"

Dusty waved her arms in the air, "Who needs to talk! It's a Party! Come on, you could go to fairy and live forever." She slowly drifted to the floor next to Kallum.

"Or just _think_ they took me to fairy and die a slow death by starvation."

"Oh, you would die of thirst long before you starved, and you wouldn't even know till _after_ you died!" dusty almost sounded serious. "I'd take care of you old friend."

"I'm happy here Dusty." Kallum held the scroll up to her. "Translate this."

"Oh joy." She took the scroll and looked it over. "So, who's this for?"

"Them, didn't you notice them when you got here?" He motioned to the group.

Dusty looked at them blankly for a minute, "It didn't seem important…. A HALF-BREED!" she squealed and was suddenly kneeling next to InuYasha, "I'm Pixie Dusty, half pixie and half…something else" she laughed brightly, "we can't remember, pixie memory you know. Well, I guess you wouldn't. So, your half human and half …what?" she could talk fast. InuYasha was in shock so Kallum answered for him.

"Dog youkia, I thought you'd like that." He smiled.

"I _love_ dogs," she cooed, "never met a dog based thing I didn't like. Ooh ears!" suddenly her hands were at his ears, gently caressing and stroking them.

"DON'T TOUCH HIM!" Kallum yelled.

Dusty pulled her hands back as if burned. "Oh, oops."

InuYasha had been recovering from his shock when she grabbed his ears, then he started to feel wonderful and didn't care what was going on at all.

The others watched fascinated as InuYasha smiled in a drunken fashion and leaned back against the wall, completely relaxed.

"What just happened?" Sango asked.

"Pixie dust" Kallum answered. "See how she shimmers in the light? That's pixie dust in its original form. The stuff on her palms has a euphoric effect."

"Will InuYasha be alright?" Kagome asked.

"Um, yeah," Dusty looked from InuYasha to Kagome, back to InuYasha as she spoke, "he's just going to be _really_ happy for a while." Then it struck her, "His name is InuYasha? That's worse than mine!"

"What's wrong with your name?" Kagome asked.

"Oh, besides _seeming_ to be named after a substance that comes out of my skin? Well," Dusty turned to face Kagome properly, "in a certain region, back home, the people have a slight misunderstanding as to how pixie dust comes into being. Making my name loosely translate as Pixie Shit, call me that and I'll turn you into something horrible."

"Does that always happen when you touch someone?" Miroku glanced at the still doped up hanyou.

"No, only certain creatures of powerful bloodlines," now she turned to Miroku, "most animal based peoples are somewhat immune to me, but sometimes that immunity doesn't make it to all the offspring. I guess InuYasha being half-human his chances were greater. See, the potency is proportional to the power that the creature holds. The more powerful they are the harder my dust hits them." She looked at InuYasha again, "He must be quiet a guy. I only touched him on a small area." She returned to the scroll.

"Can you read it?" Kallum asked.

"Yes."

"What does it say." Miroku asked somewhat anxiously.

"I don't know."

"What?!" everyone in the hut asked at once, except InuYasha. Everyone was glad InuYasha wasn't coherent at the moment. Someone probably would have died.

"Well, I can read part of it," Dusty looked up pouting, "but the important stuff is in legal. Really twisted up stuff to. There are now less five "parties of the" and no names at all. And that's just the beginning of this web. The spells are even harder. Tell me what happened so that I can try to tell you what's happening."

They explained the about the incident with the ogre. Dusty kneeled between InuYasha and Kagome watching Kagome with interest. Suddenly, Kagome gasped and lifted her hands in front of her face.

"My arms! Their back!" Kagome laughed, flexing her hands.

"Interesting" Dusty said. Looking Kagome up and down.

"So, what did the scroll say?" InuYasha asked. He was still kind of … happy, but he was more aware now.

"Ah, well." Dusty wiggled into what she thought to be a more professional position, "Some of the actual text is still rather confusing, however I do now know that the ogre is the forth party, Kagome is the fifth, the third is the caster of the spells and the first and second are still complete mysteries."

"Spells?" Miroku asked, "There is more than one?"

"Yeah, actually it's pretty complex but Kagome will probably have to strip before I can see the extent, like I said, the spell is in code or something."

"Strip?" Miroku asked again. 

"Well, all spells require a physical manifestation Like InuYasha's rosary." She did a double take, "A lot like his rosary. Anyway, I'm guessing that Kagome has a bruise, that bruise is likely to 'hold' the spell. In order to get a feel for the spells I would have to either figure out the text, or see the mark."

"So that's it?" InuYasha was really trying to get annoyed; he just couldn't quite make it. "That's all you can do?"

"No, I figured out what happened." Dusty sighed, "but I have to start at the beginning. The party of the first part asked something of the party of the second part who enlisted the help of the caster the spells. The caster of the spells agreed to cast a spell on and for the ogre if he would strike the short-skirted miko on the stomach with the enchanted cylinder. At which time he would come into ownership of the spells and the one on him would activate. The first spell, the one on Kagome, seems to put her somewhat under the power of the owner. It's word activated, like the rosary, I'll have to study the actual spell to find out what it does. But the ogre was killed. So, what happened to the spell on the ogre and who owns the spells now?" 

Dusty paused dramatically, "The spell that was placed on Kagome was supposed to be transferred to the party of the first part after the spell on the ogre was complete, according to the contract anyway. If the ogre was killed before this happened, the spells ownership would be temporarily moved to … the killer of the ogre!" Dusty said happily.

"So InuYasha owns the spell on Kagome." Sango said, "What does that mean?"

"Well, Kagome's spell isn't related to whatever is going on with her body. It was made for her and so that should be fine. You just haven't stumbled on that word yet. However, the ogre was killed before his spell was manifested on himself. I'm guessing that the spell coming to him followed the energy trail to Kagome and nested with the other one rather than just dissipate."

"What was the ogres spell?" Kagome asked.

"He wanted to be perfect," Dusty answered, "but this part of the scroll has a sarcastic sound to it. Meaning I don't think it was going to do what he thought it was going to do. He was just a convenient way to get the first spell to Kagome. Never trust a vengeance demon unless you're getting vengeance."

"Vengeance demon?" Everyone asked.

"Oh yeah I forgot the ribbon and the text go together as well as the over use of legal type writing. It's a vengeance demon. Someone wanted revenge on Kagome. And it isn't corporal, or else it wouldn't have used a bruise as a physical manifestation of the spell."

"What is going to happen to Kagome now?" Sango asked.

"She will experience whatever fun the vengeance demon was going to have with the ogre, except that there is no way of knowing how the spell will react with the other spell, or being in a human female instead of a male ogre. Once it has run its course, the first spell will transfer from InuYasha to the party of the first part. Assuming Kagome survives."

"Dusty! Have a heart." Kallum reprimanded.

"What?" Dusty looked at him with a confused innocent expression.

"So, assuming Kagome isn't killed by the ogres curse," InuYasha leaned towards Dusty, "then she ends up controlled by this first party?"

"Yup."

"What can we do?" Kagome asked.

"Well the only one who could remove the spells is the owner, and the only one who knows who that is, is the vengeance demon. The caster could remove it but won't without a request from the client."

"Dusty," Kallum asked patiently, "do you have any idea how to locate this demon?"

"Well," Dusty turned sheepishly to InuYasha, "I have this friend…"

*

A/N: Any guesses yet?


	4. More Clues to the Curse

Disclaimer: I don't own InuYasha or any characters there in.

****

More Clues to the Curse

"And what makes you think this friend of yours isn't the one we're looking for?" Kallum asked the next morning. The group had spent the night on the floor of his hut.

"Several hundred years ago she changed vocations. She says she out of the business for good. Besides she's not into small stuff like Kagome's curse." Dusty answered pulling on her dainty leather gloves, "There now I can be my normal touchy-feely self without worry!"

"Where exactly is this friend of yours?" InuYasha asked.

The night before, Dusty had explained how her friend, one of many non-corporeal vengeance demons, had retired and went on a world tour and was now having a look at Japan.

"She should be at a demons paradise." Dusty walked up to him. "There is only one here; for us non- or nearly non-corporeal beings. Japan not being too tourist happy right now. My friend should be able to identify the energy signature of the spells and help us locate the caster, who may be willing to get us in touch with their client."

"What if it is her that cast the spell?" Sango asked.

"Then were screwed, she can be a real hard-a… um, I mean she is very professional, and wouldn't be any help us in locating her client." Dusty answered. "It might be a good idea to start thinking about who wants control of Kagome, why, and what this could do with revenge."

"That's the second time I've heard you or Kallum attempt not to curse, why is that?" Miroku asked, walking up to Dusty.

"We made a promise. She's dead now." Dusty smiled brightly.

"O…K. Can we go now?" InuYasha crossed his arms and radiated annoyance and impatience.

"Yes!" Dusty bounced.

"No." Kallum said from his porch. Everyone turned to him in surprise, "I have to give you a few warnings first. Things I had to find out the hard way. First, Never under any circumstances let her consume anything sweet, not even fruit. Keep her away from alcohol too. And don't touch her or let her touch others… or bath upstream of a village. The Dust on her arms and legs-"

"Most of my body actually." Dusty interrupted.

"-is an aphrodisiac to most humans. And she has an… interesting sense of humor." He finished. "Especially maintain distance between her and InuYasha. After that little episode last night I'd hate to see what would happen."

InuYasha took a big step back from Dusty. Last night was disturbing enough.

"Is that all?" InuYasha grumped.

"I think that's it." Kallum answered, waving a dismissive hand and returning to his hut. "Have fun kids."

"Feh!" InuYasha replied indignantly, kids indeed.

Everyone turned back to Dusty.

"The stuff on my lips puts people to sleep!" Dusty said brightly.

"Were do we go Pixie shit?" InuYasha growled.

"How would you like to be a human permanently?" Dusty growled back.

Everyone burst out laughing, Pixies should never growl.

Dusty sighed. "I think it is up to the north? I know it's next to the shore."

"So we're running blind? Great!" InuYasha threw his hands up and started walking to the east.

"Not blind, exactly." Dusty defended herself, "I will be automatically drawn to this place, or at least I have been in the past."

"So," Miroku said after they have been walking for a while, "you _are_ the foreign youkia threatening to spike the water supply. By bathing in it."

"Yup," Dusty laughed, "Just a bit of good clean fun."

"I doubt the villagers would agree." Sango took to Dust's other side. "What about the lives you effect?"

"They'll get over it. Besides, do you see anyone lusting after anyone else," Dusty took a quick look at her new companions, "I mean, back at the village? Oh! That reminds me, there's a hot spring just up ahead. About an hour at this rate. Kagome, Sango, would you care to join me?"

"Wouldn't that mean they would get a dose of your-" InuYasha started to say, until Miroku jumped up to him and clamped his hand over InuYasha's mouth.

"I'm sure Dusty knows what she is doing, InuYasha. Just let the ladies enjoy them selves for once." He said, receiving cold looks from Sango and Kagome.

"I can transform to my power form," Dusty said, giving Miroku a curious look, "I can control the potency of my dust then. I'd never pull something like that on questers, Miroku."

*

Once they got to the hot spring, the girls left the boys on the road to guard the way.

Dusty turned on Kagome, "Ok, now strip and let's see this mark."

"Um… would you mind not watching me?" Kagome said after Dusty continued to stare at her, "It's kinda weird."

Dusty jumped, "Sorry, I just get so caught up in a good mystery." And with a th-pop! She was an inch tall and softly glowing a pale yellow. She flew over to the bank in search of a conveniently shallow ledge, while Kagome and Sango prepared. 

Once Sango and Kagome had eased themselves in the water near Dusty's ledge Kagome asked, "Could you really change InuYasha into a human? Or Miroku into a frog?"

"Yes," Dusty's voice was surprisingly unaffected by her change in size, "I could actually completely change anyone into a toad if properly motivated. It's difficult but I've done it before. And as for InuYasha… I would probably cast a blanket spell on him to avoid dealing with the youkia blood thing."

"Blanket spell?" Sango asked.

"A spell cast on top of everything rather than actually changing the proprieties of the victim. I would use this kind of spell to dampen his senses and limit his strength. Then I could use the knowledge I use to turn people into frogs to change his ears, claws, fangs, eyes and hair to look like a human's, or just use a glamour spell. Or if I wanted to be really mean I would leave him looking the way he does." Dusty stood on top of the water and approached Kagome, "Now, let me see this bruise."

Kagome leaned against the bank and propped herself up to expose the bruise for Dusty. It was beginning to fad slightly around the edges but the center part had gained a healthy strawberry hue as the final form of the mark began to surface. It was difficult to make out so Dusty set to work sorting out the energy first.

"Well?" Sango asked the tiny Dusty.

"It's… beautiful." Dust said. At the two groans that response elicited she continued, "I mean The weaving of the spells themselves is fantastic. To think that this is a natural occurrence is… amazing. I can't quite tell where one leaves off and the other begins."

"What does it do?" Kagome asked impatiently.

"The first spell, the one meant for you, is waiting to be activated." Dusty floated up to hover at eye level of the two girls. "It seems to be made of three parts. Active, or controlling, that's the word command spell, passive, or limiting, meaning that it prevents you from doing something, and humiliation."

"Humiliation?" both girls asked at once.

"Yeah, I'm hoping that deals with the shape of the mark." Dusty floated back down to study the bruise more. "The ogres spell is what is changing your body…."

"What is it?" Kagome asked, worried at the way Dusty's voice faded.

"That bag of flesh that houses your spirit, but that's not important right now." Dusty looked up at the confused faces of the girls. "Never mind. I have good news for you."

"What?" Kagome asked hopefully.

"The other spell wasn't ogre specific."

"What does that mean?" Sango asked.

Dusty sighed, apparently they didn't know much about the magic of changing forms. "That means that you're not going to change into a perfect male ogre. I thought you might like to know that."

"…Yes, I'm glad." Kagome was particularly happy not to have known that was an option until right now.

"The bad news is I don't know what it will do. As the ending of the spell is not quite visible." Dusty ran her hand over the lines of the mark on Kagome's abdomen. 

"I think this is part of the humiliation I was talking about." Dusty paused, "It could be that sense the active and passive spells have a while before they belong to the final owner, that person wanted to prevent you from exposing the existence of the mark so that no one would get suspicious. But that depends."

"On what?" Kagome had a feeling that she wouldn't like this next bit.

Dusty once again flew up to eye level, "On whether or not you would find having the words 'InuYasha's comfort' emblazoned on your lower abdomen embarrassing enough to keep it a secret."

Kagome dropped into the water wide eyed and trying very hard not to faint.

"I guess that would be a yes." Dusty said as she flew away to bath.

*

A/N: The next chapter actually lists most of the suspects, and possible motives. So this is your last chance to be a genius ^_^

Thanks to forbitten for being the very first guess! Um, I can't tell you wither or not you are correct of course, but the stories not that long.

The rules regarding Dusty's, well, dust come from another story I never actually wrote a while ago.

The Spell simplified, maybe: the ogre was paid off, with a spell on him, for transferring the spell on the cylinder to Kagome, by hitting her with it. Her spell has three parts, as explained above. The ogres spell didn't get attached to him properly before he was killed so it followed Kagome's spell to her. Where it is now messing with her body.

The contract was written in a "legal" form of magic with the soul purpose of confusing anyone that might be able to read the document otherwise. Think about legal documents that aren't trying to confuse you and you might understand some of the problems that Dusty faced.

I hope that cleared up the spell questions, it's kind of complex I know. I have gotten several comments about that. If you are still confused ask me, and if I can answer the question without giving out more information, I will ^_^


	5. The Usual Suspects

Disclaimer: I don't own InuYasha or any characters there in.

****

The Usual Suspects

Once they where on the road again Sango decided to indulge her curiosity about the "foreign youkia", especially if it would stop her from chanting "bored" over and over and over. Honestly she was worse than Shippo! 

"Dusty, how did you meet Kallum?"

Dusty gave her a blank look, "Who?"

"Kallum." Miroku restated, giving her a curios look. "The man in the village who summoned you to help us."

Dusty shook her head, "Village? When were we in a village?"

"This morning." Kagome joined in.

"We were at a hot spring this morning." Dusty looked completely confused.

"Before that," Kagome tried again, "Last night Kallum called you to us, he called you Pixie Shit?"

Dusty made a face and shook her head again.

"The man with the headless flowers." Shippo piped up.

Dusty's eyes lit up, "Oh my dear friend Kallum! I may have a pixies memory but I never forget a prank."

"Just how bad is your memory?" InuYasha growled.

"Uh, Well, it's really just out of sight out of mind." Dusty explained, "It gets much worse if I transform. Have I done that recently?"

Sango nodded, "Yes, at the hot spring."

"Of course," Dusty smiled, "Never pull pranks while questing. Right?"

"Right!" Shippo chirped.

"Unless you get _really_ bored." Dusty winked at the kit.

InuYasha was less than happy as he returned to leading the group toward the coast Dusty had indicated earlier.

"Cheer up InuYasha!" Dusty called after him, "I'll know it when I see it!"

InuYasha turned his narrowed eyes on her, "Know _what_ when you see it?"

Dusty bit her lip, "What it is that we are looking for."

"Damn it!" InuYasha roared.

"Calm down!" Dusty demanded, "It's not like I've never quested before! Just tell me what I told you and I'll be good."

"You were leading us to a 'Demon's Paradise', I believe." Miroku put in.

"Ah Yes, we are going the right way." Dusty nodded.

"What about the Fucking curse!" InuYasha snarled, she was much worse than Shippo, "Do you remember that?

"… Of course, InuYasha, I never forget a good on going mystery either." Dusty was on the edge of a pout, but didn't think that would have the right effect on the aggravated hanyou.

InuYasha stomped back to the front of the moving group and silence once again threatened to bring annoying verse from Dusty.

"Do you remember how you met Kallum?" Sango tried again before Dusty had a chance to start singing.

Dusty got a thoughtful look on her face, "We quested together all over Europe, trying to restore the 'Unbreakable Heart' to it's rightful mountain home before… I don't know, the world blew up or something." Dusty shrugged, "I met him in a river, in my power form. It was cold."

"Perhaps you could tell us of your Quest while we travel." Miroku was not eager for her to teach Shippo any of her repetitive songs.

"I don't think so," Dusty said sadly, "My memory, and the facts of the story…. It didn't exactly end well. Our leader, my lady and the guardian of the stone, died a horrible crushy death at the roots of the mountain shrine, alone, and heart broken."

Well that was a conversation killer.

"The bastard realized he shouldn't have taken his duty so much to heart, and died a few years later. Tormented by his failure to protect her and the knowledge that she wouldn't have had to die at all, or at least not so… pained if it weren't for his stupidity and lack of emotional insight." Then she added a little more brightly, "So that made up for my inability to torture him in her memory."

"Perhaps we should keep as much as possible about InuYasha and Kagome's relationship from Dusty." Miroku whispered to Sango.

She nodded her agreement.

Dusty was looking at the trees again. "Let's stop under _that_ tree for Kagome's switch." She said rather loudly.

"Feh." InuYasha responded, 'Damn pushy pixie.' He thought. However he realized that they should stop for the curse's switch.

The tree had a wide canopy of branches and was positively covered in large white blooms. Under the tree the ground was carpeted with a cool dry moss, even a large rock and fallen branch sported the soft covering.

"It's beautiful!" Kagome sighed as she took a seat. "I can see why you would want to stop here."

"I doubt that." Dusty fluttered her wings slightly and lifted straight off the ground, ankles crossed daintily. Soon the others lost sight of her among the flowers. "So have you thought about who it is?"

"What?" InuYasha asked trying to see where the voice came from.

"Does Kagome have any enemies that might want to get revenge?" the disembodied voice came from the other side of the tree this time.

Everyone thought on this for a while. Then Dusty floated from the tree holding an armful of flowers, "What? You expected me to do all the work? I'm not a mind reader, a physic or an avid follower of quests great and small. You have to give me something to go on!" With that she sat on the ground and began to sort her acquisitions.

"Kagome doesn't have many enemies, living." InuYasha smirked.

"Sessoumaru doesn't like her." Shippo piped up, "He says she's annoying and interfering."

"That's good, Shippo!" Dust looked delighted. "But is that the extent of it? This is a rather complicated way of dealing with an annoyance."

"He wants to kill InuYasha and take his sword." Miroku added.

"That's right!" Dusty said, "I keep forgetting! This spell isn't necessarily limited to Kagome!"

"What do you mean." Miroku asked.

"Well, this spell on her has three parts, an active power, a passive power and humiliation." Dusty picked a large flower out of her bunch and looked at it lovingly. "The humiliation is the mark. And the active power is the word spell. That could be anything from kill to sleep."

"Humiliation?" InuYasha asked.

"What is the passive power?" Miroku asked.

"Why wouldn't he care that we discovered the word?" Sango asked.

Kagome remained silent, watching as Dusty took a large bite out of the flower she had been admiring. "So that's why they were headless." She stated.

Dusty nodded and swallowed, "Pixies in power form eat nectar, in this form I eat the whole flower. And it's a good prank on old Kallum. Now," she looked at each of the questioners in turn, "Kagome's bruise is forming into a slightly embarrassing phrase, I think it was supposed to keep her from revealing the magic's home before the client got possession of the spell. I don't know what the passive power is, only that it will, or is, keeping Kagome from doing something. I don't know what. The client might not care wither or not InuYasha gained control of the spell because, once activated, it might cause her to kill you all or something so then the client wouldn't care if it was now or then. Understand?"

"Why doesn't 'the client' own it now? Why change possession at all?" Kagome asked.

"This spell likely took a lot of energy to bring into being, then there is the payment for the task. In order to offset the massive amount of energy taken for it, the ogre was made the owner of the spell. He would supply the energy required to form the spell in return for the casting of his own spell."

"But that would mean _I'm_ supplying the energy to do this to Kagome." InuYasha glared at the pixie. 

'I wonder if pixie dust has withdrawals, or if he's always this cranky.' Dusty thought. "Yes," she said, "and if you were killed or died the energy would come from someone else. So Sessoumaru is one, anyone else? I mean besides the obvious creatures just after the jewel and numerous who might want to avenge family members."

"Naraku." Sango spat.

"Yes this is sounding like something Naraku would do." Miroku agreed.

"And he is?" Dusty asked.

"Naraku wants the jewel, but he wants it tainted." Sango explained. "He turns people against their loved ones through deceit in order to taint the jewel."

"Then that would be a definite maybe." Dusty nodded. "More?"

"Kikyo." Shippo said.

"Kouga." InuYasha stated.

"Who's Kikyo and what is her motive?" Dusty asked.

"Kikyo wants to take InuYasha to hell with her," Sango said quickly covering Shippo's mouth. "Kagome keeps stopping her."

"That's… creepy." Dusty cringed.

"Well, she's already dead." Shippo had managed to wiggle away.

"Oh," Dusty said, "no, no that's still creepy. However she is an excellent suspect, she'll go in the list with Naraku."

"I don't think she's involved." InuYasha stated flatly. He didn't want to reveal too much to Dusty either, just for different reasons.

"Any particular reason?" Dusty asked.

"…No." InuYasha couldn't really defend his position. Using a vengeance demon was pretty under handed, but so was working with Naraku. And she had done that at least once. And she didn't have a problem with hurting Kagome, as much as he hated to think about it.

"Then she is still a good suspect. What about Kouga?" Dusty ate another flower.

"Kouga is a wolf youkia," Shippo said. "He's in love with Kagome and thinks once he kills InuYasha she'll love him too. He's kinda stupid."

"Kouga wouldn't do anything to hurt Kagome." Miroku said.

"Maybe he hasn't," Dusty said, "revenge demons can be tricky when they want to, the active spell could be over her heart. A lust or infatuation spell."

"WHAT!" InuYasha jumped up ready to chase Kouga down and kill him right then.

"No, wait," Dusty waved him down, "This Kouga wouldn't want to risk you stumbling on the spell if that was the case, and then the caster would have to refund the energy."

"So we're up to four, anyone else?" she looked at the group.

"I think that's all we know, unless someone came around while I was…" Kagome suddenly grabbed her stomach.

Dusty watched her intently. It was time for the curse to change.

Suddenly Kagome jumped up and headed into the woods.

Dusty jumped up as well. "I'll take care of her, this shouldn't take too long. When I get back I will have more info about the ogre's curse."

*

Conspiracy theory

****

A few hours later Kagome and Dusty returned, freshly bathed.

"You two were _bathing_ this whole time?" InuYasha yelled.

"No," Dusty said indignantly, "but it made Kagome feel better."

"What's wrong with Kagome now?" Shippo asked Dusty.

"I now know how the ogres spell is working." Dusty announced instead of answering directly. "The spell is working by turning each system almost all the way down, and then turning it all the way up. After dealing with the arms and legs in one go it has moved on to the torso, dealing in smaller increments."

Dusty received blank stares all around.

"So you mean that Kagome's muscles are loosing all their strength and then gaining all their strength all at once? Why?" Sango asked.

"Not just her muscles, and I don't know why." Dusty kneeled in front of the fire they had made, "The end of the spell is well concealed."

"I don't understand." InuYasha frowned at dusty in a thoughtful way.

"I bet." Shippo snorted.

"Do you?" Dusty asked. When Shippo just pouted into the fire, she asked, "What don't you understand InuYasha?"

"If this is a revenge demon, what… how is being the perfect ogre revenge?" he finished.

"Maybe the demon was just having fun." Dusty shrugged. "It's not likely though. You said that the ogre said 'I will have complete power over her', right? Well maybe the 'her' he's talking about was another client of the revenge demon. I did say that the spell was sarcastic, that it wasn't doing what he thought it was going to do."

"What, besides her muscles, is being effected?" Miroku asked.

"I love traveling with people of good memories and inquisitive minds." Dusty sighed happily, "Her web systems." As if that answered the question.

Another round of blank stares told her that it did not.

"Oh! I forgot. None of you have turned people into frogs!" Dusty smacked her head, then cleared her throat, "The body is made of bones, muscle, organs and connective tissue. All belonging to their own system. Some belonging to more than one. Also there are the 'web' systems, like the tubes that transport blood, and that clear sticky liquid."

"Lymph." Kagome added in, "It helps clean the blood."

Dusty gave her a mystified look, "Among other things. Kagome are you training to transform people?"

Kagome shook her head quickly, "No, I learned about it in school. Please continue, I think they will understand your explanation much better than mine."

Dusty nodded, "Funny names only get in the way of explanations. There are other web systems as well. One is information. It is made of special tissue and uses a combination of tiny lightning and chemicals to 'talk' to the rest of the body. All of Kagome's systems are being effected by the spell. Her muscles have been taken care of, as has her skeletal system, I think. And her digestive system now, she won't be eating any thing for the next day. The rest of her systems are to follow."

"What effect will this have on Kagome?" Sango asked.

"Oh lets not get bogged down in details that will only worry you." Dusty smiled, "It's nothing I can't handle, probably. Now let's all get some sleep."

The group nodded and prepared the camp for sleep.

InuYasha settled at the base of the tree, in order that his sensitive nose not be distracted by the overwhelming sent of flowers. 

Th-pop!

"I thought you weren't going to transform any more, Pixie Shit." InuYasha grumbled.

A pale yellow glow floated over to him, "I've gotta check some stuff out, dog breath, I'll be back by morning. Otherwise, keep going until you reach the coast."

Then she was a pale yellow streak, going back the way they had come.

"Feh."

*

When morning came everyone woke and there was no Dusty. Everyone ate breakfast, except Kagome, and there was no Dusty.

"Lets go." InuYasha barked

.

"What about Dusty?" Kagome asked.

"She'll catch up, now come on."

They walked in silence for a few hours, until Shippo noticed something.

"InuYasha one of your beads is glowing yellow." He said.

InuYasha looked down at his shoulder, where Dusty was sleeping in her power form.

"GAH! Get off me!" He shouted and jumped, unwilling to touch the pixie.

Dusty fell onto his Jacket and scowled, "Relax, I'm not even touching you." She then floated up and toward the middle of the moving group. "I just went to check out that swamp you told me about."

"And?" InuYasha asked.

"And it's vampiric."

"I knew that was no ordinary Bug!" Kagome shouted.

"You were bitten?" Dusty asked.

"Yes, by a big bug." Kagome answered.

"Was anyone else bitten?" Dusty asked again.

"No." Everyone else answered.

"And you didn't think it odd that only one of you was bitten in a swamp?" Silent stares met Dusty's question. "I can't believe this, I'm surrounded by _amateurs_! It might not mean anything, but it might mean that some one, possibly our caster, got a hold of some of Kagome's blood. If they did that adds a whole lot of power behind the spell."

"But it was only the day before the spell was put on Kagome." Miroku argued.

"It might mean nothing." Dusty shrugged. "Maybe it was just a bug…. The swamp pulls energy off of living beings but not enough to do more than give you a creepy feeling, maybe make you more tired then usual. But the caster could have used the natural flow of energy off of the 'host' to the swamp and just redirected it to where ever they wanted it to go."

"What good does that do us?" InuYasha asked.

"Killer rabbit." Dusty replied.

"What?" Everyone stopped to eye the little glowing dot.

Dusty pointed to her left where a large, fanged rabbit, about the size of a large dog, was watching them.

Upon being noticed the rabbit jumped forward and tried to latch on to Miroku's throat. Miroku deflected it with his staff flinging it right under Dusty, who shrieked and quickly took position next to InuYasha. InuYasha, with his sword already at the ready, jumped forward to slice it open, but the rabbit was too fast and jumped at the last minute. Sango pulled her sword and lunged, but once again the thing was too fast.

Dusty lifted her hands over her head while InuYasha and Sango tried to corner the angry killer rabbit. Then she brought her hands in front of her "Petal wind!" she cried as millions of tiny pink petals leaped from her palms and blew through the battle, temporarily blinding the rabbit and Sango. InuYasha, whose back was to Dusty, took the opportunity to slice the rabbit in half.

Once that was done, InuYasha turned to Dusty, "Flower petals? What kind of attack is that?"

"I'm a pixie," Dusty floated offer to him, "What kind of attack did you think I'd have? We only even have the dust as defense against our only natural enemies."

  
InuYasha snorted, "Let me guess, birds?"

"… Actually, yes." Th-pop! "But _you_ should know that when hunting rabbits swords only get in the way, InuYasha." Dusty, now full sized, scowled at him.

"Feh."

"I do have better attacks, but I couldn't use them with you guys so close to the… Sango are you Ok?"

Sango walked up with tears streaming down her face. "I've got a flower petal in my eye."

"Opps, sorry." Dusty apologized, "I could help you get it out."

Sango mumbled that she was ok and wondered up the road to Kagome.

"That was one of the …prettiest attacks that I've ever seen Dusty." Miroku walked up absolutely covered in miniature pink flower petals.

"Thanks." Dusty giggled.

*

Dusty sat by the fire that night, counting off on her fingers and getting distracted by everyone trying desperately to keep Kagome from eating all of their provisions.

They wouldn't even be here if it wasn't for me!" Kagome argued over a bag of potato chips.

They let her eat the bag but told her eat it slowly, the next day was going to be hard on her. The curse had switched and now she was constantly hungry.

"What're you doing Dusty." Shippo asked.

"I'm counting suspects, Shippo, I'm up to nine." Dusty answered.

"I thought there were only four." InuYasha said from his spot firmly between Kagome and her backpack.

"Ah, well," Dusty blushed, "I've found more. Good night!"

"Who are they?" InuYasha growled.

Dusty sighed and looked around the camp, "Your not going to like this, but its routine! Honest! I can't rule any one out who might have a motive."

"It's alright Dusty, we understand," Miroku said in his calmest voice, "we won't get upset."

"The first suspects in this kind of case are always those closest to the victim." Dusty bit her lip, "Usually ex-lovers, but Kagome doesn't have any of those so, current um, relationships must be investigated."

"_I'm_ a suspect?" InuYasha snarled, to angry to realize what he had just implied.

"Yes," Dusty nodded, "I don't have much to go on there as far as motive. Except your rosary. The energy around it is very similar to the energy around Kagome's spell. But sense she owns yours and you currently own hers and they are both word spells it could just be coincidence."

"Damn right it is." InuYasha crossed his arms and glared at the fire.

"Also this Keade woman." Dusty continued, "She is the little sister of Kikyo and Kagome is the reincarnation of Kikyo, also Kagome broke the jewel, so there could be a motive there. That leads me to… Sango."

"What?" Sango exclaimed

.

"Sorry." Dusty muttered, "Sango's village was destroyed by Naraku in order to get shards of the jewel, which Kagome was supposed to guard and accidentally broke. That's her motive. Miroku, his motive wouldn't be revenge so it isn't likely him. But he might want to prevent InuYasha from becoming a full youkia, and he might use Kagome to do it. Shippo is too young to enter into a contract like this and I couldn't find a motive anyway."

"That's only eight," Miroku said, "who is the last one."

"InuYasha's flea," Dusty replied, "doubtful but it is possible, servants and such are always suspect and can have motives that we don't know about or can't understand."

"I didn't do anything." Sango insisted. "I don't blame Kagome…"

"Well, there is another problem." Dusty sighed, "I've been thinking the party of the second part. See I couldn't figure out why the vengeance demon didn't ever contact the client directly. That's _very_ strange. The more I think about it the more I think the second party is a dream weaver. Both vengeance demons and dream weavers live on the intellect plan and they are the only ones that have contact with corporeal beings on a regular basis. If the party of the second part is a dream weaver the client might not remember making the deal until after the spell is complete."

"Shit." InuYasha said.

"Indeed." Dusty agreed.

*

A/N: That was two chapters in one, The Usual Suspects and Conspiracy Theory so don't be expecting them all to be this long. But I got all of the suspects named now, so it's up to you. The next chapters will have more interactions between the characters and less theory. The end is in sight now.

The count is 1 for Kouga and 1 for Sessoumaru, no explanations given, and that was before the list above was given. Remember that motives may be different or more complicated than mentioned above, dusty only knows so much, all info from the series at the time of the beginning of the story applies. But by the end you will have all you need to find who did it and why.


	6. Staying Alive

Disclaimer: I don't own InuYasha or any characters there in.

****

*

Staying Alive

The group trudged on ever to the sea.

Dusty busied herself teaching Shippo the song that never ends, in fairy. Repetitive nonsense badly sung. Dusty was having a _blast_. 

"How much farther do we have to travel, Dusty?" Miroku said over the din of their singing.

Dusty stopped singing and looked at the sky in thought before answering, "Two more days maybe? Not long now, depending on Kagome's condition."

"What's going to happen next?" Kagome asked, as she reached for another cracker. Now that bits of her had stopped going dead she was less panicked and more annoyed.

"I don't know." Dusty pouted, "I have an idea of what's left, but I don't want to scare you."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Kagome choked.

"Calm down," Dusty made calming motions with her hands. "I just mean that it will probably sound worse than it will actually be." 'I've got to learn to think before I speak.' She thought. "Any way it's almost time."

The group once again paused to stare at Kagome, and wait for the next phase of the curse.

"Would you guys mind not staring at me like that?" Kagome leaned against a tree and put the remainders of her crackers back in the pack. But before anyone could reply Kagome collapsed on the ground coughing and grabbing at her heart.

"KAGOME!" InuYasha and Shippo shouted, running to her side.

"What's wrong?" InuYasha asked.

"The next phase." Dusty leaned over Kagome, as she kneeled on the road, wide eyed, one hand clutched at her chest and taking deep gulping breaths.

"Can't… breath." Kagome gasped.

"Of course you can," Dusty patted her back gently, "That's about all your doing right now. It's just that usually you don't have to think about it this hard."

"My…heart." Kagome looked up at the pixy pleadingly.

Dusty nodded, "Well, if it's still beating it should continue to beat, right? Let's not do anything to discourage it." Dusty straightened up, I think we should camp here tonight and wait for this phase to pass."

Kagome shifted to a more comfortable spot under a nearby tree and continued to breathe while the others made camp right there on the road.

InuYasha and Shippo stayed by her side all night, eventually Shippo curled up by her side and fell asleep. But Kagome never slept. All night she sat leaning against the same tree, fighting for every breath, with InuYasha crouched near by. He kept his ears trained on her heart and his eyes on her face. And while Kagome gasped noisily, he barely breathed. He kept his mind carefully clear, as if his thoughts might prove too heavy for her fragile heart. This is the way the night passed for them.

Morning brought no comfort to Kagome, her breath still required her to demand it and she was getting tired from the constant exertion. Shippo and the others woke and went through the morning tasks quietly.

The day passed on and InuYasha remained by her side, looking more like a stray puppy then the great warrior he tried to be. He was scared to move or even look away from her, as if the power of his gaze was the only thing that insured her next breath.

Dusty spent the day restocking her petal "attack" and playing hide and seek with Shippo. Nothing takes your mind off your worries like a playful pixy.

As the afternoon wore on, and Shippo went down for a nap, the boredom finally got to Dusty and she made Sango and Miroku some tea. But just as she was putting the finishing touches on her prank, Sango walked by.

"Dusty!" Sango practically yelped when she caught Dusty with her finger in the brew. "I thought you weren't going to pull that stuff on us!"

"I got bored." Dusty explained innocently, "I wanted to see what would happen. I'd have a laugh and you'd have a little fun… It was just a little dose anyway." She finished sadly as Sango poured out the spiked tea."

When the time of the switch came, it came silently. Kagome simply slumped over, unconscious. InuYasha jumped to her side and took her vital signs as the others waited near by.

InuYasha straightened and looked at them, "Her hearts back, she's breathing regular too. She sounds… strange, but she's alive."

Dusty stood and looked up at the sky, "I think it would be ok to move her now. Let's cover some ground while there's still light. We should reach the shore tomorrow."

*

The next day the group did reach the sea. InuYasha repositioned the still sleeping Kagome on his back and looked around. The trees stopped quite away from the shore leaving them in a lush open meadow, the tall grasses were blown by the rich sea air. It was beautiful, but Kagome was still dead to the world, and that made InuYasha a little edgy.

"From here we go north," Dusty smiled from her position in the air, "I think I can see the southern boundary from here!" As she drifted down to the ground she added, "Kagome should be waking up soon, how about a break!"

Everyone, except InuYasha and Dusty, gave a relieved groan. InuYasha wouldn't let them stop since they started walking early that morning, arguing that they had wasted enough time and the curse might make them loose another day. Without Kagome to "convince" him otherwise, they had been forced to keep up or be left behind.

InuYasha laid her on the soft grass in the shade of a sweet smelling bush. The others found a nice patch of ground near by, to wait for Kagome to wake up.

Kagome woke with a start a short time later. She sat up and looked around bewildered, "What happened?" she asked groggily.

"Good mor… good afternoon." Dusty piped up from her seat on the bush, you fell asleep for the whole day and InuYasha carried you here."

"Are we at the resort yet?" Kagome asked looking around blearily.

"Not quite, how do you feel?"

"Fine. A little confused but… fine." She answered.

"Hey Kagome," InuYasha kneeled next to her.

"Don't start with me, InuYasha!" Kagome snapped.

"…What the hell are you talking about? I was just asking-"

"Don't take that tone with me right now InuYasha," Kagome choked on a sob, "I don't think I could take it."

InuYasha looked at the others for an answer. Miroku just shrugged.

Sango stepped forward and addressed Kagome, "Are you sure your alright?"

"Of course Sango, why do you ask?" Kagome smiled mildly at her friend.

"Oh, this should be fun." Dusty beamed.

"Is that right?" Kagome turned on Dusty, "Fun? This is fun for you? Do you think this is funny!" She worked her way up to a yell before falling into tears, "Is that what you all think? Go ahead, laugh at the poor cursed girl!"

"That's not what she meant, Kagome." InuYasha tried desperately to calm her down, "Just… just stop crying and-"

"DON'T TELL ME WHAT TO DO!" Kagome jumped up, "All of you just leave me alone!"

Kagome marched away from the group in a huff.

"Uh… Kagome? North is this way," Dusty pointed in the opposite direction. Kagome turned an impressive death glare on the poor pixy, "I just thought that you'd like … to…" Her voice faded as Kagome pasted them, now headed in the proper direction.

Before the others had a chance to recover, she turned her angry gaze back on her friends and released a long strained hiss. Then continued to stomp up the coast.

*

A/N: Special thanks to drow goddess for letting me know I hadn't updated in a month… I really did start to work on this chapter then, it just took this long to get out.

The count now stands at:

Moyga- 1

Kouga- 2

Kagome- 1

Sesshomaru- 1

And several thoughtful undecideds.

Remember only your _last_ guess will be counted in the final chapter. And you don't have to guess to review ^_~

Happy guessing!


	7. Humans Don’t Do That

Disclaimer: I don't own InuYasha or any characters there in.

****

*

Humans Don't Do That

"Is she asleep?" Sango asked carefully.

"Yeah." InuYasha sighed in relief as the others visibly relaxed.

It had not taken long for them to realize that any communication, whither with Kagome or simply near her, was a risk. Sometimes she would go off on an angry rant or start crying spontaneously, no matter what they did.

"So what's wrong with her?" Shippo asked unhappily.

Dusty considered the question, "Well… a large part of her chemical communications seem to have been turned off, causing her to act… like… this." She waved in Kagome's general direction.

"You don't know." InuYasha scowled.

Dusty gave in a dry look before breaking into a mischievous grin and spreading her arms wide, "Give us a hug!"

InuYasha scrambled back to get away from the suddenly affectionate drug producer.

"Dusty," Miroku spoke as she slowly made her way toward the frightened InuYasha, "I don't see how adding an amorous InuYasha to this situation would be at all helpful."

Dusty sighed, "He's just so fun to tease. And I _do_ know what's going on with her. It's just that I don't want to tell you. It'll be funnier that way."

"Dusty," Miroku again addressed the pixy calmly, "I believe we have had enough fun at Kagome's expense. What's wrong with her?"

"It's…" Dusty thought how best to describe it and settled for, "her reproductive system, it's been turned all the way down. Her body is suffering from the lack of input that system provides."

*

They let Kagome sleep in the next day, figuring that would be safest. Once she did get up she was grumpy over breakfast and annoyingly chipper on the march north. Until mid-day, when she suddenly dropped Shippo and told him to walk on his own for once, then turned on InuYasha and yelled at him, apparently for walking in her peripheral vision.

Shortly after that out burst they reached the rock that marked the southern border of the non- and semi-non corporeal being vacation resort. It was a large brown lump jutting out of the ground, slightly taller than it was round.

"You guys stay here." Dusty floated gracefully into the sky again, "I'll bring back some passes."

Before anyone could ask about these "passes" she disappeared with a Th-pop!

"How long until Kagome changes again?" Shippo asked from his position on Miroku's shoulder.

"A few hours more Shippo." Miroku answered, "I am positive that Dusty will return in time to witness the next stage of the curse."

"I wonder what it will be like." Sango sighed, casting a wary glance at Kagome, who was staring passively out to sea.

"Anything'll be better than this!" InuYasha Scowled at the ground.

Kagome turned to glare at InuYasha "It's happening to me you insensitive jerk, SSsss-hmph!" she stood stiffly and walked around to the other side of the rock.

"I'm back!" Dusty drifted up to the group, "What'd InuYasha do now? Breath?" she asked and indicated Kagome as she pouted.

"He spoke." Sango said simply.

Dusty grimaced, "Big mistake. Anyway, Angel will bring the passes out tomorrow at this time."

"Uh… Dusty," Miroku approached her, "what is this pass?"

"And who's Angel?" InuYasha demanded.

"The passes allow corporeal beings to comprehend most of the resort and its occupants, which would otherwise be beyond your senses." Dusty explained, beginning to feel a little like a tour guide, "And Angle is… well, she's a semi permanent resident of the resort, as well as a … uh, corporeal being herself."

"Why do we have to wait another day?" Shippo asked impatiently.

"Yeah!" InuYasha exclaimed, annoyed that Shippo beat him to the question.

"They feel the next phase of Kagome's curse would be too disruptive to the tranquil atmosphere of the resort." Dusty recited, "And they need time to prepare that many passes and warn some of the guests." Dusty settled down next to Sango and called around the rock to Kagome, "Please come back around to this side, Kagome. It's almost that time again."

Kagome grudgingly got up and walked around the rock to sit facing the group.

"Better?" She barked.

"Yes, thank you." Dusty replied happily.

Silence fell on the group and Kagome fell into a depressed mope then turned a little green.

"Times up." Dusty chirped, "How do you feel Kagome?"

"The same," Kagome glared at Dusty, "and a little sick."

Dusty nodded, "I thought so, in this case, too much is similar to too little. The sickness should pass soon." Dusty continued to watch Kagome intently.

"Do you mean we have to put up with another day of this shit?" InuYasha yelled at the Pixie.

"Not exactly," Dusty replied distractedly, "There are likely to be some differences."

"Like what?" InuYasha asked cautiously.

Dusty shrugged, "We'll have to wait and see."

Kagome's face had returned to its normal color, and she started to look around at the group carefully. She paused on Miroku before turning her full attention on InuYasha. A strangely strong feeling began to well up inside her, and it urged her towards InuYasha.

"Kagome?" Sango asked, having noticed a strange look come over her friends face, "Are you alright?"

Kagome ignored her, "InuYasha, come here please." She said sweetly.

InuYasha looked up to see a predatory look in Kagome's eyes, "…Why?"

She shrugged, "Then stay there. I don't care." Kagome started to crawl to him.

InuYasha jumped up just as Kagome tried to pounce on him. "What the hell is going on? … Dusty?"

Dusty was grinning widely, "I was afraid of this."

Kagome made another grab at InuYasha and again he dodged just in time.

"What's going on with Kagome?" Miroku turned to Dusty.

"Isn't it obvious?" Dusty replied, laughing as InuYasha lead the frustrated miko around the camp, "Her reproductive system has been turned all the way up! Her body wants to make babies and apparently InuYasha is her preferred male donor."

"What should we do?" Sango wanted to stop Kagome from doing anything she might regret later, but the way she was moving… Sango wasn't sure she could grab her without hurting her. And then there was the rest of the day. Would they have to restrain her until the curse switched again?

"Place bets?" Dusty suggested, "How long will it take Kagome to think to subdue him? How long till InuYasha gives in?"

"Dusty," Miroku said in the warning look, "can't you do anything to help? I find it hard to believe you wouldn't be prepared for this."

Dusty gave him an annoyed look, "I think it'd be good for them, make them see some stuff, bring it out in the open." She shrugged, "I could give him a good hug, move things along."

Miroku arched an eyebrow at Dusty and she sighed, "Or I could give Kagome a big kiss. But she has to stay still. Sango be prepared to hold Kagome, I don't think it will be long now."

"What won't be-" Sango was interrupted by a resounding SIT! from Kagome, and the answering yelp and crash, some where down the beach. Followed by the sounds of a struggle.

"Come on! We've got to do it now, before he takes off again." Dusty jumped up and ran toward the sound as fast as she could, with the others not far behind.

"Shippo stay at camp!" Sango yelled over her shoulder.

"Awww!" Shippo stopped where he was and pouted, "I wanna know what's going on too!"

But the others had already reached the source of the noise. Kagome was sitting on InuYasha, trying to remove his haori, while InuYasha tried to prevent her from doing so, without hurting her. The panicked look on his face almost caused Dusty to change her mind. But her conscience won out in the end.

Sango grabbed Kagome and pulled her off of InuYasha, much to his relief, and Dusty stood in front of her.

"What are you do-" Kagome was cut off as Dusty held the sides of Kagomes face and gave her a big, overly dramatic kiss. Kagome's eyes widened in shock before her whole body drooped and her eyes closed.

"There," Dusty put her hands on her hips and grinned, "Problem solved. For a few hours anyway, until she wakes up again."

*

A/N: Sorry it took so long, I've been out of town and effectively with out computer. Sorry this moves so… badly, I'm hoping the next chapter flows alittle better. And gets out faster.

The count now stands at:

Moyga- 1

Kouga- 2

Kagome- 1

Sesshomaru- 1

InuYasha- 2

And several more undecideds.

Remember only your _last_ guess will be counted in the final chapter. And you don't have to guess to review ^_~

Happy guessing!


	8. Angel

Disclaimer: I don't own InuYasha or any characters there in.

****

Angel

"We've got to think of some other to do this!" Dusty exclaimed, "My lips are getting chapped."

It was early the next morning, the sky was only just beginning to hint at blue, but everyone had been awakened when Kagome pounced on InuYasha before Dusty convinced her to submit to sleep. It was popular opinion that Dusty postponed putting Kagome down for the entertainment value.

"Is there another way to get your lip dust to Kagome?" Sango asked.

Dusty thought for a second, "I'd have to produce _more_, and that's what's doing the damage." Dusty shrugged, she was watching Kagome as she slept restlessly, "So… any guesses as to the word spell?" she asked finally.

"What?" InuYasha looked down from the top of the great rock they had mad camp next to. His eyes reflected the campfire back at Dusty.

"Spooky." Dusty said, "The word? The last and possibly most dangerous part of the spell? We can look for it while she sleeps."

"Keh." InuYasha's eyes turned from the fire.

Dusty forged ahead anyway, "We'll make a game of it! Now it will have to be a one word action-"

"Like SIT. InuYasha sulked.

Dusty glanced at Kagome, "Yes, but that's not it."

"How do you know?" Sango asked, "What if she has to be awake for it to work?"

Dusty shook her head, "Even if she doesn't actually act, I should be able to see the Magic run through the mark. Like when InuYasha's rosary glows just before he hits the ground. I say it's… kill. Try that InuYasha."

Dusty waited expectantly, InuYasha turned to glare at her, "No."

"I think we should try other orders first, Dusty." Miroku respond, "Things that won't have us defending ourselves."

"Alright… the you think of something." Dusty leaned back against the rock.

"What would some want Kagome to do?" Sango asked the group.

No one seemed to know.

"Well you didn't want to say kill." Dusty pouted.

"I don't think any one sees Kagome as a very food assassin, Dusty." Sango said.

"Would you guys find it so easy to hurt her back?" Dusty asked expectantly.

The others looked at each other uncomfortably. None of them would be able to harm Kagome intentionally.

"Right, so anyway, lets try just calling out words then." Dusty straightened up again, "But the reaction might not be exactly what the word means, after all Kagome says "SIT!" but InuYasha lays down. Hey! Try "Lay" or "Down", InuYasha."

InuYasha grudgingly complied but with no result.

"Go." Miroku suggested.

"Give," Sango tried, "as in give us the shards?"

"Stay." Dusty indicated.

"Get." Miroku insinuated.

InuYasha tried all these words and nothing happened.

"Play?" Dusty asked hesitantly.

Nothing happened, again.

"Where does that leave us?" Sango asked.

"Maybe they are not after the shards," Miroku offered, "at least not directly."

Dusty nodded thoughtfully, "But what else does Kagome have to offer that someone would want? Besides the visible I mean."

InuYasha growled at Dusty's insinuation, then turned to Kagome and barked, "Talk."

Nothing happened to Kagome, but Miroku brightened, "Information!" he said happily.

"Tell." Said Sango.

Dusty shook her head, "Something the owner of the spell might not expect us to say ordinarily."

Miroku considered InuYasha for a moment then suggested, "Please?"

InuYasha ignored him completely.

"Speak!" Dusty squeaked happily.

"Speak?" Everyone said back to her incredulously.

Suddenly a mumbling could be heard from where Kagome lay on her sleeping bag. Then it stopped.

"InuYasha," Dusty whispered for some reason, "try that one again."

This time everyone watched and listened when InuYasha gave the command. Dusty saw the flash of blue white light from the magic coursing through the symbol on Kagome's abdomen just before she began to whisper.

"Inu… mmnnnmnn... mnnmnmhhh…"

InuYasha stared in shock as everyone else let out a relieved breath.

"That's fairly benign, then." Dusty said.

"What?" Sango asked, "What good would that do anyone?"

"Well," Dusty tried to look important and professional again, "either the spell makes Kagome say what's on her mind, or the person is a pervert and wants Kagome to entertain them."

"What did she say?" Miroku leaned forward in his curiosity.

"Shut up!" InuYasha jumped down on the opposite side of the rock from them.

"Consider the condition of her mind… er, body, Miroku." Dusty hadn't really heard that much of what Kagome said, but the basic content was clear. She glanced over at Kagome, who was beginning to wake up, "It's that time again. Miroku turn around."

*

"She's waking up, Dusty." Shippo said helpfully.

"I'm not doing it again." Dusty said shortly, "It's too close to _that _time anyway. She should be awake when the spell switches."

"What's left to go wrong?" Sango asked.

Dusty thought before she answered, "I'm not sure but the body's finished, so that leaves the head."

"What if she goes crazy again?" Shippo asked while clutching Sango's arm.

"We'll take care of her, don't worry." Dusty patted him on the head.

Kagome came around slowly; feeling as if she had been swimming too long, she was worn out, her limbs were sluggish and her head was floating. And still her body ached as it had last night when she had pounced on poor InuYasha.

Slowly her eyes focused on Dusty, "Aren't you going kiss me again?" she asked drowsily.

Dusty shook her head, "It's almost time."

"Oh." Kagome was confused, time for what?

Everyone else in the group watched her anxiously, InuYasha watched from the top of the rock. "I'm not going to jump on anyone," she mumbled, "I have a pixie dust hangover and I just want to curl up in a little ball and cry."

"Don't cry." InuYasha ordered quietly. His nerves were frayed enough without her crying again.

"I'll do what I want when I want, you jerk!" Kagome screamed.

"A bad day this may be," a small feminine voice said from outside the group, "but the rain may pass away tomorrow."

"… What the hell is she talking about?" InuYasha was the first to speak.

A few paces north of the group stood a pretty human girl, about Kagome's age. She was wearing a green and white Kimono with a brown apron, and a slightly blank expression. From her hand hung five crystals on five leather stripes, each identical to the one she wore around her neck.

"Angel! You're early!" Dusty chirped brightly, " Come stare at Kagome with us until the next phase comes."

Angel knelt gracefully next to Dusty, who was across from Kagome, Miroku sat next to Angel and Sango settled next to him. The only one that didn't move to watch the transformation was InuYasha. He stayed on the rock.

As annoyed as Kagome was at the others for, once again, treating her like a side show, InuYasha's refusal to face her irked her most.

"Coward!" She shouted up at him, "Come down and face me like a –"

Kagome swooned a little but caught herself. InuYasha leaned forward on his perch, trying to see if Kagome was all right without putting himself in "danger".

"Are you Ok Kagome?" Shippo asked, afraid to approach her.

Kagome seemed to ignore him. She sat very still blinking her eyes rapidly. She waved her hand in front of her face and accidentally hit her nose. Her face lifted to look around her, frightened, she moved her mouth like she was trying to talk, but nothing came out. She put her hand on her throat and tried again. Nothing. Finally she just curled up, hugged her knees and started crying.

"What's going on Dusty?" Miroku asked.

"Kagome seems to be blind, deaf, and for some reason mute." Dusty explained, "I'll bet she's can't smell or taste anything either. Don't knock the importance of those last ones to human's InuYasha, especially when missing all the others. Right now the only thing connecting Kagome to this world is touch."

Dusty considered the frightened girl while Shippo tried to get her attention by shouting and dancing.

"InuYasha, come down here." Dusty called.

InuYasha, now certain that Kagome was safe to be around, jumped down next to her. Kagome felt the rush of air and jerked away.

"InuYasha I think that you should hold Kagome's hand." Dusty said.

"What! Why?" InuYasha looked at Dusty suspiciously.

"Well your hands and clothes are unique," Dusty said. "I doubt that Kagome has held hands very often with Sango, Shippo is too young to offer her the comfort she needs right now, the knowledge that she is safe. And the only other one with a unique situation is Miroku, with his glove and beads. Now do you want Miroku holding hands with Kagome for the next 24 hours?"

InuYasha growled, but reached over and put one hand lightly on Kagome's arm.

She jumped, causing his claws to graze across her skin. She grabbed his hand with both of hers and hugged it to her for a moment. When she recognized InuYasha's hand her world had gained a glimmer of comfort. Her hands traveled up his arm, grasping at the fire rat haori, feeling it's familiar texture. When she reached his shoulder she rapped her arms around his.

InuYasha blushed, staring at Kagome as she clutched his arm to her chest.

"Good, good." Dusty smiled, "She looks better already."

"The beginning sits among the poppies, blackness does not fluctuate," Angel said quickly, "stillness does not beget the destination."

"Quite right Angel." Dusty stood, "Pass out the passes and let's get moving."

*

A/N: this is actually the first half of Chapter 8, but I decided to put it up to show you that I really was working on it. The next half, now chapter nine, will be out this Friday (October 17th). Heh, for a minute back there, writing the story, I felt like I was in "The Phantom Tollbooth". If anyone else knows that book, or the scene I'm talking about, I would be very surprised.

I wanted to thank merry, I don't know if you still feel that way, but I do try, and I appreciate it.

RedHerring - sorry I never got back to you, but I was going to update last week, and tell you that you'll have to read the rest of the story to get that, in an AN like this. But that didn't happen and… well if you read my bio you would know I'm a recluse, I'm not good with … people. But I'm getting better all the time. Anyway keep reading all will be revealed. But don't be shy about asking questions though.

The count now stands at:

Dusty-1

Kikyo-3

Moyga- 1

Kouga- 2

Kagome- 2

Sesshomaru- 1

InuYasha- 4

And several undecideds.

Remember only your _last_ guess will be counted in the final chapter. And you don't have to guess to review ^_~

Happy guessing!


	9. The Last Phase

Disclaimer: I don't own InuYasha or any characters there in.

The Last Phase

Angel placed a necklace on each of them and stood back. The group felt dizzy and their sight blurred, "Yelling from a mountain does no good to those in the valley, one must go to the valley to yell. But my voice stayed on the mountain." She ended sadly.

"You're getting off topic Angel." Dusty floated above the group, looking particularly sparkly.

"What did she say?" Miroku asked Dusty as she slowly drifted farther into the sky.

"Angel's even higher then the beings that stay here, she had a quest, but something got messed up and her mind stayed up there. Someone else took care of the quest, but Angel's stuck down here until her human body wears out." Dusty explained, "Follow Angel, she knows were my friend is. I'll meet you there."

They all watched as Dusty flew off into the resort, which they just noticed appeared around them. They looked around; the rock that they had camped next to seemed both painfully clear and like it wouldn't quite sit still. The whole world, the part that they had seen before getting the crystal passes, acted just like the rock. Painfully clear, yet jumping ever so slightly in random directions.

The resort itself was simply fuzzy. Fuzzy buildings of an undistinguishable material and various designs. Mostly they resembled simple huts, some fairly big, but others were two or three stories. These were the strangest ones; one looked like a blue, upside down pyramid; another had strange angles jutting out all over it and doors only at the very top. Some buildings they couldn't quite focus on.

It was like that with the vacationers too. Most they couldn't quite focus on, and others they forgot the moment they looked away.

"Stillness does not beget the destination." Angel said, "the glowbug seeks nectar. The bumble bee and butterfly searching the sky find no fulfillment, as the flower's plot is on the ground."

When she got no response from her charges she shook her head and started to walk away, into the heart of the resort. The others quickly moved to catch up to her. Once InuYasha got Kagome on her feet she relaxed her hold on him, settling for one hand in his and the other resting at his elbow as she stumbled along beside him.

Not many of the strange beings hung around to watch the group of corporeal creatures make their way along the broad winding path between the rented dwellings. A few, mostly accompanied by "children", lingered on their porches to motion ghostly limbs in their direction as they spoke in delicate whispers to the wide-eyed young ones.

InuYasha growled lowly, he didn't like being watched, and whispered about like that. Kagome felt his torso vibrate through her arm, the one she was holding his hand with was tucked between his arm and his body. He was stiff and growling, Kagome stiffened in response and stumbled on the smooth path.

Angel turned to look at the ones that were supposed to be following her. She could hear InuYasha growling, and knew this would upset Kagome.

"The googles give knowledge to years down the line. To help creatures, creatures must be seen. Calmness imparts the message of safety."

InuYasha stopped growling, confused, but this satisfied Angel since Kagome relaxed as well.

Suddenly a ruckus was heard in the air toward the sea. Everyone turned to see what was going on, and everyone saw dusty flying very quickly, her delicate wings fluttering franticly and leaving a trail of blue powder behind them. She was being chased by about ten non, or semi-non corporeal beings that were shouting something the InuYasha group couldn't understand. They seemed to be frightened. Dusty was slightly turned, to better laugh in the face of her desperate pursuers, and waving what looked like brightly colored paper tubes at them. As she pasted over the heads of her traveling companions, one of the tubes slipped out of her grasp and fell to the ground at Sango's feet.

Sango picked it up and noticed writing on it, "Pixie stick?" she read, "What's a pixie stick, and why don't they want her to have it? She _is_ a pixie."

Angel rolled her eyes, "Those whom Times hands can not push right, spike the nectar of glowbugs happiness, in so doing put others through the torture that they have already seen."

Sango was no closer to an answer then she was before Angel attempted to help, so she pocketed the tube for safe keeping and continued to follow the strange girl.

Angel stopped in front of a particularly normal hut. It seemed to be made entirely of bamboo each piece of which was about two inches in diameter. The great majority of them lay horizontal to the ground and were held in wall shape by strategically placed vertical bamboo poles. Like all the other hut type dwellings, this one had a porch, also made of bamboo, as were the few steps leading up to it.

"The flowers plot?" Miroku asked Angel.

Angel beamed at him before she approached the curtain/door and knocked on it. Strangely enough, it made a loud hollow noise.

Angel opened her mouth to speak when the curtain pulled aside and out stepped a woman of medium height; she was slim and light looking. Her straw colored hair hung half way down her back, and she wore a long, deep blue, tunic style dress that gathered at the ground. She had very pointed ears, like a youkia, her eyes were quite round, and the color of her dress. Around her waist there hung an length of gold braiding the ends of which joined together somewhere below where her belly button must have been and journeyed down to meet the hem of her dress on the floor.

She looked sharply around the group, "Where's Dusty? Did she go of to play and leave them to you Angel?"

Angel merely nodded, and walked away into the resort.

Everyone watched her go. She hadn't said goodbye, or bothered to introduce this new youkia to them.

"Excuse me madam but my friends and I-" Miroku started to introduce them and their purpose.

"I know who you are, Miroku," she interrupted mildly, "and I know why you're here. Come in." she stood back from the door to let them pass.

The inside of the hut was dark, lit only by a dim fire in a pit in the middle of the room and a small oil lamp on a desk to the right. The walls, floor and ceiling were made of a dark red wood that soaked up the light, and there weren't any windows at all. Here and there faded tapestries of foreign scenes would lighten the dark walls. Adjacent to that, a desk made of black wood, with an oil lamp and a high backed chair faced into the room. Behind the desk a dark dusty green curtain hung in the doorway to an even darker room beyond. There was a padded bench along the far wall. Looking back to the open doorway they found that the curtain was now a heavy, red, wooden door.

"I'm afraid I don't have any chairs, not that you'd care," the Woman said as she closed the door with an ominous click, "But I feel like a bad hostess…. Ah one moment."

The woman walked behind her desk and through the curtain.

"… Do ya think Dusty's gonna come back?" Shippo asked anxiously after a moment.

"I hope so Shippo. This is her friend after all." Sango said.

Kagome kept her grip on InuYasha, only lightening it a bit when he stopped moving. She did not know they were in a dark room, with a strange woman they thought could help, that Dusty seemed to have abandoned them. She thought they must have moved inside because she couldn't feel the breeze on her cheek or the sun on her back.

The woman returned carrying six round pads, which she placed around the fire pit in a semi circle facing the padded bench.

"You are here," she said turning back to her guests, "to uncover the owner of the spells on the butterfly there. And possibly their nature. Correct."

"Yes," Miroku said, "how did you know?"

"Wait," InuYasha interjected, "who's the butterfly?"

"She is on your arm," the woman smiled, then winked, "bumble bee."

"Angel said something about a butterfly and a bumble bee too." Sango said, "Was she talking about Kagome and InuYasha?"

"Of course." the Woman shook her head, "Dusty ran into me while she was trying to get the passes. Let me see the contract."

Miroku gave the cylinder to her. She popped open the top and sat in the high-backed chair at her desk. As she went over the scrolls the others made themselves comfortable on the pads that she had made available. InuYasha, with Kagome firmly attached, sat opposite the desk, in view of both the foreign youkia and the closed door.

After a short period of time the woman put the scroll down on the desk. Where it remained mostly flat, only slightly curled at the very ends ends.

"Dusty told us that you might know who cast the spells on Kagome and who their client is." Miroku said.

The woman got up and moved to sit at the padded bench, "Dusty, hmm. What is Dusty doing in the country anyway."

Miroku looked around the group before attempting to answer, "She didn't tell us, but I think it has to do with her friend Kallum."

  
"Kallum?" she appeared to mull over the name for a minute, "I haven't heard of any Kallum. Something resent, perhaps."

"Perhaps." Miroku repeated quietly.

"Can you help us or not?" InuYasha barked suddenly, startling Kagome when his body jerked to add to the violent outburst.

"Perhaps." The woman smiled tolerantly.

"Excuse me, madam," Miroku returned her attention to him, "you said you know who we are, but we don't even know your name."

The woman, now sitting primly on the bench gave a slight frown, "Once, a long time ago, in a land very far away, they called me Tora. If you must call me something, you may call me that."

Miroku nodded in appreciation and continued to think in silence.

"Can you help us?" Sango asked.

"Bring her here," Tora said, patting the cushion next to her, "sit her down next to me."

InuYasha stood slowly and lead Kagome to the bench, then sat down next to her. Tora took Kagome's chin in her hand, making her jump, and turned her head so that she could look at it in profile and then straight on.

"You are a pretty little butterfly aren't you?" Tora spoke softly, knowing full well that Kagome couldn't hear her, "Lets hope she stays that way, Yes?" she smiled somewhat coolly at InuYasha.

"What the hell are you talking about, bitch." InuYasha growled.

Tora sighed, "The spell is almost finished." And that seemed to be all that she was going to say on the subject.

"Tora," Dusty said from where she leaned against the door, "You know the identity of the caster of the spells?"

"I do." Tora nodded her head in agreement.

"You know the identity of the client who ordered the spells to be cast?" Dusty asked again.

"I do." Tora answered in the same way.

"You can tell us the names of these creatures and where they are now." Dusty walked forward towards the fire pit.

"I can tell you nothing that would compromise the contract until the spells are finished. You know that Dusty." Tora said coolly.

Dusty nodded then kneeled on a pad in the semicircle of light. She opened her mouth to say something else, but Miroku beat her to it.

"How long were you planing on making us wait before you told us that you are the caster of the spells, Tora?" Miroku asked somberly.

"What?" InuYasha jumped up and spun to face her causing Kagome to jump and look around wildly. When she started to curl in on herself in a frightened manner, Dusty got InuYasha to put his sword away and take his place next to Kagome.

"InuYasha! The client can't come here without a pass, and you are the only one's with passes right now. So calm down and stop threatening the only one that can tell you who did this to Kagome!" she said, "Besides, Kagome probably thinks everyone is fighting some sort of giant monster right now. Comfort her."

InuYasha looked back at the Kagome ball then turned to Dusty briefly, uttered a harsh "Keh", and returned to Kagome's side.

Tora smiled at Miroku, "what makes you think that Miroku?"

Miroku straightened slightly, "It was quite a coincidence that two foreign vengeance demons from the same area should be in the country at the same time. I doubt that Dusty gave you our names and descriptions when she didn't give either for you. And you didn't spend that long looking at Kagome, or in the right place."

Tora nodded, "For the most part you are correct, Miroku. Your logic is good, if not completely solid. But it changes nothing. I can not tell you anything until the spells are complete."

"What about the Ogres spell?" Sango asked, "Can't you remove that one?"

Tora smiled, "I do not miss, Sango."

"Well," Dusty spoke up, "now what?" her question was directed at Tora.

"Feel free to stay here at the resort, in my bungalow." Tora answered rising from the bench and walking to the door, "As Dusty said, you are safe here. No one can sense that you are here and the client can not get in without a pass. If the client enters the resort, you will be told. Now go, have fun. I will try to find some… food for you."

"Meaning that she will tell the resort staff of our needs." Dusty shook her head in mock shame for her friend. "Come on, Let's go to the beach!"

"What about Kagome?" InuYasha asked, standing slowly to allow Kagome to follow him.

"Bring her along! As long as you're touching her she'll feel safe." Dusty replied from the porch as she ran to the sandy beach.

"If only more girls shared that view." Miroku lamented to Sango.

Sango's eyebrow twitched. Miroku had behaved himself as long as Kagome was in immediate peril, but now that they were safe and without anything to do, she would have to watch her backside. Literally.

Down on the beautiful beach, in the beautiful weather, they frolicked. Or rather Shippo and Dusty frolicked, Sango and Miroku enjoyed the sand and water in a more relaxed manner befitting their age and state of dress. For many hours Miroku managed to behave himself, only slipping into innuendo every now and then.

InuYasha took Kagome down to the beach. Shippo managed to communicate the want to remove Kagome's shoes, and though she was obviously confused she removed them. She understood immediately, Shippo wanted her to enjoy the late afternoon sand in her bare feet. With some trepidation Kagome left her shoes and socks behind, and continued to walk with InuYasha on the soft warm sand.

He took her down to were the surf met the sand. Kagome was delighted. In this new world that was made only of touch, everything felt so… real. Everything had new depth. And everything was slightly scary. With InuYasha by her side that made it thrilling. As long as he was near she knew everything must be all right.

As the sun made a wonderful sun set Shippo and Dusty were still playing. Sango and Miroku were somewhere down there on the beach too, but InuYasha and Kagome sat on Tora's porch. InuYasha watched Shippo and dusty splashing each other with salt water with a wistful smile, sense he was sure no one would see him.

Kagome was happy, mostly. She had spent some time walking on the sand and along the water line feeling the water wash over her feet. She even timed one rush of water and managed to kick it, if she was able she would have giggled. Now she was sitting… some where, with InuYasha. The temperature of the breeze and its direction made her think it must be getting late, maybe the sun had already set. She leaned her head against the shoulder whose arm she had tightly in her grasp. She was struck by an idea and released her hand from InuYasha's.

InuYasha looked down at Kagome in curiosity, why had she let go of him? He didn't think she would be trying to leave, her head was on his shoulder after all. When he realized what she was doing, all he could do is watch. Why was she doing that?

Kagome took the hand that had been holding InuYasha's and grabbed his wrist, bringing it up a little into the air. She took her other hand off of his arm and placed the tips of her fingers on the back of his hand. Slowly, she ran her fingertips up his hand to his fingers, then up his fingers. Finally she took two of his fingers in her hand, released his wrist and used that hand to turn his hand over. Carefully she let her exploring fingers trace up to his claws. She felt the hard smoothness of the back of his claw, and then the tip. They were very sharp, but not so much that you could accidentally puncture yourself. The edges were sharper and Kagome almost cut herself with the same pressure that had been safe on the tips.

At that moment there was a resounding SMACK near by, and InuYasha quickly put Kagome's exploration to an end.

Sango stomped into the cabin shortly after that, and Dusty and Shippo arrived with a tray of food. InuYasha followed them, or the food, inside, leading Kagome along as well. And soon Miroku walked in, nursing his often-abused cheek.

That night Dusty managed to convince InuYasha that he needed to maintain contact with Kagome throughout the night. Futons were produced from the dark room, this time by Dusty, their true "host" hadn't been seen since they went to play on the beach.

So with much blushing, and only after everyone else was fast asleep, InuYasha lead Kagome to her futon, lay down next to her with one arm draped around her waist. Kagome blushed at this, which only made his own blush worse. But they both managed to fall into a peaceful slumber eventually. InuYasha hadn't meant to but Kagome's scent had that effect on him sometimes.

Late into the night, Tora emerged from the dark room and carefully approached the slumbering hanyou and his girl.

She looked so peaceful, not that Tora thought that she couldn't handle it. After all, extensive research went into the planing of these spells. More so than most of the others. But how would the butterfly handle the owner of the spells?

Tora knelt next to Kagome and sighed, "Perhaps you've been through enough in this part, yes?" then, with a furtive glance at InuYasha, she place her finger tips on Kagome's forehead and brushed the bangs from her face.

The smell of cooking breakfast woke Kagome early the next day. Her eyes fluttered open, about the same time as InuYasha's. Before her was the room from last night, the room she couldn't see. She was facing the fire pit where Dusty was fussing over a pan of meat and dutifully wearing her gloves.

"Is that breakfast?" Kagome asked. The sound of her own voice startled her and InuYasha.

Dusty smiled, "Such a pretty picture." She whispered, referring to InuYasha and Kagome, his arm was still around her waist. Quickly they jumped apart, blushing, and looked around to see who else saw.

Thankfully everyone else was still asleep and only just beginning to awaken.

"My voice and sight and hearing and, and smell is back!" Kagome jumped up and shouted, then immediately put her hands over her ears, "That was loud." She said confused, and why did I wake up before anyone else?"

Dusty put the pan on the floor next to the fire, "I think that Tora forwarded you through the last part of the spell. I think that by this afternoon you should be through with this part."

Kagome smiled brightly, until InuYasha spoke up.

"Then someone gains control of the spell."

Kagome's smile faded. Dusty scowled at InuYasha, "Let's just enjoy the day Ok? And your new senses!" she turned a brilliant smile on Kagome, "there isn't that much to hear here. No birds or anything, but I'm sure you'll be fine with exploring the sounds and sights around here."

As the group reached fully awake, they all voiced their happiness at Kagome having regained her senses. InuYasha snorted.

The day passed much like the other, only now Kagome joined Shippo and Dusty playing in the surf, and InuYasha had Kagome to watch have fun from the porch.

When mid afternoon came, Dusty ushered them back to Tora's cabin. She wasn't really sure what to expect from the ending of the spell and figured that they should be on guard.

But when the time came, Kagome just fell unconscious on the bench along the back wall.

The group gasped as she fell over heavily. Tora sat on the bench near Kagome. She placed her hand on Kagome's head, "Well, That's it then. The curse is complete."

"What did you do to Kagome, bitch?" InuYasha yelled.

Tora looked at InuYasha crossly, "Silence, you'll wake her, and she needs her rest. After all she must still deal with the owner of the remaining spell."

"And who is the owner, Tora?" Dusty asked quietly.

Tora smiled, "Haven't you figured it our Dusty?"

"I think I have." Dusty replied, "I knew that it was you that cast the spell and that helped."

Tora nodded, "It was I that was contracted to construct and cast the spells." she leaned forward, her eyes sparkling, "And I am ready to reveal the identity of my client to you."

*

A/N: Sorry I was late, I've been sick. That's also my reason for the bad sections near the end. This, in case you missed it, is the last chance to make or change your guess.

The count now stands at:

Dusty-1

Kikyo-4

Moyga- 2

Kouga- 2

Kagome- 3

Sesshomaru- 1

InuYasha- 3

Remember this is your last chance to guess who did it, or to change your current guess. And you don't have to guess to review ^_~

Happy guessing!


	10. Identity Revealed

Disclaimer: I don't own InuYasha or any characters there in.

Identity revealed

"But perhaps Dusty would like the honor?" Tora grinned at their anxious faces.

Dusty shrugged "It doesn't matter to me. I figured it out, just close the deal already."

Tora bowed her head slightly to Dusty before standing and moving towards the door.

"Hey, wait!" InuYasha jumped up, "Tell us who ordered the curse, bitch!"

Tora stopped, and turned slightly to face him, "I always meet my clients face to face InuYasha. This is the first time I've done it after the fact. It was a pleasure working for you and I hope you enjoy the out come of your request." Tora bowed low to InuYasha and walked to past him to her desk. Once she was seated in her high backed chair, she picked up the scroll, "The spells are complete and the contract is paid. We won't be needing this anymore."

She held the scroll near the oil lamp on her desk and it went up in flames.

"It was me?" InuYasha blinked in disbelief, "I wanted revenge? On Kagome?"

"Yes, and no," Tora smiled, "first I want to know how Dusty figured it out."

Dusty put on a serious expression, "Um, lets see, should I start at the beginning, or strength of the clues…"

"Just get on with it!" InuYasha growled lowly.

Dusty gave him a dirty look, "From the beginning then. The first thing that I noticed when I started to investigate the case was the similarities between InuYasha's rosary and the spells on Kagome. At the time I thought that that was due to the similarities of the spells, and the fact that they each owned each other's spells. But I kept it in mind, just in case it went deeper then that.

"When I got a chance to look at the physical manifestation of the spells on Kagome, I noticed how well the two spells, the one we knew was meant for Kagome and the one we thought was for the Ogre, were weaved together. I was amazed that it could have been an accident. But everything up to that point made me think that it must have been.

"The next clue to surface is even weaker then those two, but should be mentioned. The form of Kagome's mark. I presumed that the client didn't know what the mark was, that they just wanted to Kagome embarrassed or for the spells mark to go unreported to her friends. I thought one thing suspicious though, Why "InuYasha's comfort"?"

"W-What!" InuYasha sputtered.

Miroku grinned, "Kagome has "InuYasha's comfort" written across her hips? No wonder she didn't tell us what it said."

Dusty gave the boys a sour look, "Why "InuYasha's comfort" in order to prevent her from telling? Sure it's embarrassing, but why not up the stakes? Instead of "InuYasha's comfort", write "Miroku's Comfort" instead. That would definitely keep Kagome from revealing the mark to anyone, even Sango, who she might otherwise confide in. Of course there is always the possibility that the client did know what the mark would say. But why would anyone, other then InuYasha or Kouga, or possibly Kikyo, care about whose name was in the mark? And if it _was_ Kouga or Kikyo they wouldn't be likely to choose InuYasha's name. So this was a confusing and possibly misleading clue. But a clue non the less."

"InuYasha didn't know the form of the mark." Tora interrupted quietly, "But he did express an interest."

"There you go." Dusty shook her head, "Next we started to sort out the suspects. I'll skip every one who didn't do it and go straight to InuYasha. I really didn't know enough about him and Kagome and their relationship to come up with a solid motive. All I knew at the time was nobody knew what was going on with them, them least of all. I did know that InuYasha had a rosary spell that Kagome owned, and that he wanted the Jewel they're looking for, for himself. And again the similarities of their spells popped up in my mind. I filed it away with all the other motives.

"When I began to suspect a dream weaver of being involved, InuYasha became more suspicious. Surely he harbored bad feelings about his rosary. I didn't know what his spell was exactly, however as an asocial young man the dream weaver theory did cast him in a suspicious light.

"The next, and I must say biggest clue I got, was Kagome's hiss. When she got mad she hissed at us. Eventually I found out that she was actually hissing at InuYasha. I thought this was a suspicious action, Kagome didn't seem like the kind of girl that would _hiss_ at some one.

"I was very confused about this, until the next phase when Kagome actually got to use her subduing powers on InuYasha. With a resounding SSSIT!" Dusty paused to look at the stunned group, "I realized that that was very likely what the passive part of the spell was affecting. Kagome was unable to subdue InuYasha when she was angry, but otherwise the spell was intact. Why?" Dusty questioned Tora.

"I will explain myself later Dusty," Tora answered calmly, "Once you are finished."

Dusty nodded, "I didn't want to implicate InuYasha at that point, because we were almost here, and I wasn't positive. Though the earlier clues made it seem like it was him, I couldn't figure out why he wouldn't have had the word blocked out completely. And I didn't think that he would want revenge on someone he nursed through this whole thing. It just didn't seem right.

"I was beginning to suspect Tora too. She knew we were coming, and she was the only revenge demon from our region, former or otherwise in the area. This troubled me.

"Then InuYasha suggested the subject that ended up revealing the word spell over Kagome. _And_ it was a sharp order, comparable to SIT! And one that many young men would like to have over their young girlfriends. That or "Shut Up".

"When Tora recognized you and pulled you into her home without me there to baby-sit you, I knew one of you must have been the client. Tora is a very private person usually. I also realized at this time that the motive wasn't revenge, sugar is wonderful brain food." Dusty confided, "See Tora isn't a vengeance demon anymore. Part of the spell kept pestering me, what kind of revenge is perfection? So I thought it wasn't. But it was. Whatever Tora was hired to do wasn't really revenge. Perfection meant perfection!

"I felt much better after that. InuYasha was the client, but he wasn't trying to hurt Kagome."

"What do you mean I wasn't trying to hurt Kagome!" InuYasha yelled, "Didn't you see what she went through?"

Dusty tilted her head to the side in thought and Tora looked slightly confused, "But," Dusty said slowly, "She wasn't hurt."

"I think we have different opinions of what constitutes "hurt"." Miroku sighed.

Tora tilted her head to the side now, "She did not suffer pain, not even when her body returned to normal. I made sure of that. No damage was done that was not undone. She was not hurt."

InuYasha scowled and started to move towards Tora, but Miroku stopped him, "I do not believe we can make them understand, InuYasha. Kagome will recover, let's leave it at that for now."

Reluctantly, InuYasha stopped.

"Dusty is done," Tora said, she decided to ignore most of what InuYasha did anyway since she had little patience with youth, "Now I must explain myself, as well as you I guess." She indicated InuYasha.

"Our mutual friend, a Dream Weaver as Dusty thought, came to me with your problem. You see, I am not a vengeance demon," Tora smiled darkly, "and you didn't want revenge. But you did want to get even. That's what I do now. Instead of blinding a whole family and their dog for putting out an eye, I just put of the eye of the one that did the damage. But I don't hurt people any more, I arrange things so the playing field is even. It is much more … challenging." Tora whispered, allowing the word to drip from her tongue, "And you InuYasha, were quite a challenge."

"You went to our friend shortly after a spat with the butterfly." Tora leaned back in her chair in a regal sort of casual way, "Apparently you were very upset when she used your rosary to subdue you at what you thought was an unfair and uncalled for time. That was the last straw. So you called on a Dream Weaver, the Dream Weaver called on me. And here we are."

"I don't understand how the things you did to Kagome 'evened the playing field' between them." Sango glanced back at Kagome, who was still asleep.

"I'm getting to that." Tora said dissmissively, "See if this sounds familiar; loss of bodily control, helplessness, fear of unpredictable elements causing bodily harm for apparently no reason, public humiliation at the utterance of a single word, and barring, publicly, the symbol of that humiliation. I think that's everything…. Kagome had a lot to catch up on."

"But it was more complicated then just the spells." Tora stood and began to pace the floor as she explained, "I had to figure out how to get even and then keep it that way. I couldn't harm her or compromise her humanity." Tora shot InuYasha an annoyed look before continuing to pace thoughtfully, "I looked into your 'relationship', or rather Dream Weaver did. But I had to think on that one. I found that Kagome used the spell when she got angry, especially to escape from fights. That was an unfair advantage. InuYasha was then unable to pester what he did out of her, like other males might do. But the spell was too helpful to block out entirely. So I blocked out the control word when she was angry, but in any other state she can still access it.

"A control deserves a control in return. InuYasha wanted the same power over Kagome, but that was hardly fair. After all, he is stronger and faster then she ever could be as a human. So I settled for him getting his questions answered. Now if he really want's to know what's wrong with her all he has to do is ask." Tora smirked.

"But that was easy to take care of, and fairly obvious. The mark was by far the hardest thing to come up with. Believe it or not, coming up with where to put it was harder then what to make it say. I thought about putting it on her collarbone, like a necklace, and not having it say anything. But that would have been difficult, and dangerous, to deliver. And any mark on her face, neck, hands, or legs, would be considered disfiguring and ugly, not just humiliating. A much worse fate then InuYasha's rosary. It suites him, you see. So I made it a phrase that would embarrass Kagome simply by being there. And placed it where it would be the most suggestive. I thought of making it a necklace too, but that didn't seem bad enough for Kagome and I would have had to fool someone much more powerful then that ogre.

"Then Kagome had to go through catch up. I came up with combining the helpless and fear factors of InuYasha's past experiences with his spell, with the long term effect that I came up with to even Kagome up with him. Simply slow down the process of optimizing Kagome's body to twenty-four hours. Easy as that."

"But," Sango asked hesitantly, "why optimize Kagome's body? How does that help InuYasha?"

"It doesn't," Tora announced, "but if I hadn't then they wouldn't be even, InuYasha would still have a major advantage over her, in addition to all my spells. I wanted to make things as equal as possible. But InuYasha didn't want me to compromise her humanity in any way. So I had to work within those limitations. Really annoying."

"So InuYasha did this because Kagome "sat" him in front of Kouga?" Dusty asked. She was watching InuYasha, who had gone pale and was staring at Kagome with a blank look on his face. "I think he's in shock."

"He'll get over it." Tora leaned against her desk, "Kouga wasn't just an enemy, he is a rival for Kagome's affection. He claimed that Kagome was "his woman". And, as they are adolescent boys living at this level of "civilization" InuYasha had to fight for both of their honor. He had to show every one who the bigger male was. Think about it Dusty. Kouga steals a woman that is under InuYasha's protection, a woman that InuYasha has an interest in, he puts her in danger, he claims, in front of his pack and InuYasha's group that she will be his. InuYasha saves the day. Kagome sides with her kidnapper. Refuses to let them fight, subdues him in front of this enemy, this now rival in love, and aids in his escape. InuYasha was pissed. Then when InuYasha inquires as to what happened while she was Kouga's prisoner, she runs away home without answering him. This was the last straw. His resentment took hold of his unconscious mind and summoned a dream weaver. Any questions, InuYasha."

InuYasha shook his head, "Kagome's going to be pissed."

*

A/N: Dusty only had access to most of the clues, a full list of the clues at the bottom. Any questions? I need filler for the epilogue.

A note to **Ghoul King** and pruningshears, cause your questions are related. First I probably spelled InuYasha's flea's name the way I did because I make great use of cut and paste and haven't seen an episode with him in it since my downloading privileges were revoked (I think, I just don't want to ask the school if I can, it's the legality of it all in question…I hate dorms). So I spelled it like the reviewer did, or at my whim. Now, thanks, but I know ethereal, I love the word, But I wasn't the one to start the whole thing, Dusty was. That's how she talks, and it stems from a deep psychological… thing about her being about halfway between corporeal and ethereal. I haven't forgotten you **pruningshears** this is where your question about the use of "butterfly" comes in. Dusty was referred to as "glowbug", that was not just one of Angles communication problems, Tora was supposed to call her that too, but I forgot, I was sick remember. And I cut a few scenes that weren't important so they never got written. So Dusty is to Tora as Myoga(spelling by popular opinion) is to… Sesshomaru. So were would that leave the corporeal youkia and humans? Bugs. But cute like bugs, so it's OK.

Now see why I don't respond to reviews more often?

The count now stands at:

Dusty-1

Kikyo-4

Moyga- 4

Kouga- 2

Kagome- 3

Sesshomaru- 1

InuYasha- 3

Shippo- 1

Thank you for playing, now for the honorable mentions:

These people not only got it right, but gave me _showed_ good reasoning in their _long_ reviews

****

Ghoul King

(the only one that didn't change their mind)

Also correct:

****

PeachesDani

Redherring

These people may not have been right, but they almost made me doubt myself with their deductions:

****

Little John of Locksland

Irish Girl Angel

Aile Anna

Kris-chan

Also played along: 

****

loveyaa

pruningshears 

KeelyErin 

Kyoko-katana 

moon neko kitten

bluefuzzyelf 

Silent Vixen 

Priest 

Merry

Demon-InuYasha

onnie 

forbitten 

And Thanks to all the reviewers that didn't guess. I hope you all enjoyed the mystery.

The complete list of Clues ranked from 1 to 3. 1 being rock solid, 3 barely even counts as circumstantial.

(1)Right before Chapter 1 – the proximity to the first Kouga event

(1)Chapter 1 – InuYasha's unusual fatigue in the swamp

(3)Chapter 1 – InuYasha's reluctance to fight(I realize that he acts like that usually when faced with charity acts, but was he having second thoughts?)

(1)Chapter 1 – the Ogre recognized InuYasha's youki

(3)Chapter 2 – InuYasha's insistence that Kagome's sudden recovery wasn't important and that they move on. (again not unusual behavior anyway)

(2)Chapter 3 and 5 – Dusty's remarks on the rosary connection

(2)Chapter various – the ogres spell for perfection

(2)Chapter 4 – Dusty's amazement at the accidental weaving of the spells

(3)Chapter 4 – the form of the mark

(3)Chapter 5 – InuYasha's "motives" as seen by Dusty

(2)Chapter 5 – the use of a dream weaver suggests a subconscious desire

(1)Chapter 6 and 7 – Kagome's hissing when angry

(2)Chapter 8 – the similarities of the word spell, InuYasha's suggestion of the subject "talk"

(2)Chapter 4 and 9 – Tora was not a vengeance demon any more, but she _was_ the caster of the spells

(2)Chapter 9 – Tora looked at InuYasha before forwarding Kagome to the next phase, asking for permission perhaps?

Well that's that. And remember I'll answer any questions you ask in the epilogue. Please? I need the filler.


	11. Epilogue: Revealed, Again

Disclaimer: I don't own InuYasha or any characters there in.

Epilogue: Revealed, Again

"There's one thing I don't understand." It was the next morning and Kagome was sitting on the porch of Tora's bungalow with Dusty and Sango. Dusty had finished explaining what the "curse" did, but had yet to tell her who owned the spell. InuYasha was crouched nervously a good six feet from the girls, with Miroku and Shippo near by.

"Why would anyone want to prevent me from SI – subduing InuYasha?" Kagome looked the picture of confusion, "Why would they want me to be embarrassed?"

"Um, you might understand after I tell you who ordered the spells." Dusty grimaced slightly; she was looking forward to InuYasha's punishment, but not Kagome's reaction to this bit of news. "First I have to tell you about what we _thought _was the Ogre's spell… It turns out that it was meant for you all along."

"What?" Kagome was more confused then ever.

Dusty cleared her throat. "Tora was given a lot of room for interpretation by- by the client. Like the mark? She was told to humiliate you with it, but not how to do it or what to make it say or anything. So, while the client apparently said nothing about "perfecting" you, Tora believed that it was within the spirit of the contract to do so."

"But how is that revenge? I'm stronger, faster, all of my senses are improved…"

"It isn't…" Dusty gave Sango a pained look, "Tora, she's an equalizer now. The client wanted things to be more equal between the two of you."

"More equal? But who would want…" Kagome's eyes narrowed as the pieces began to fall into place, specifically the word spell, the prevention of subduing. But why the humiliation? The fear? The perfection? He wouldn't… would he? And if he did, why not get rid of the subduing spell completely?

"Dusty? Who is the client?" Kagome asked looking towards the boys.

"Um…" Dusty shifted uncomfortably, "Promise not to over react?"

"He did have reasons Kagome." Sango looked nervously at her friend, "And he did it while unconscious, remember that."

"Who was it?" Kagome turned her narrow eyes on Dusty.

"InuYasha." Dusty said in a small voice.

"INUYASHA!" Kagome yelled as she stood up, "SSSS-"

  
InuYasha jumped up and prepared to run when she shouted his name and hissed. But then she crumpled back on the porch crying.

It was just too much for her, the curse had been hard on her, and it turned out to be all InuYasha's fault. She couldn't stop from crying just a bit.

InuYasha took a few steps toward Kagome then crouched cautiously, "Why are you crying?" he asked in a small voice. This wasn't the reaction he had prepared for.

"Take it off," She sobbed, "just take it off."

"The power to remove the spell is in _your_ hands Kagome." Dusty said reassuringly.

"What?" Kagome turned to Dusty and stopped crying.

"The spells are linked to InuYasha's rosary," She explained, "when you remove that, it will lose its power and the remaining spells on you, including the mark, will leave too. Well, not the perfection thing, that's permanent."

"Oh…" Kagome was confused again.

InuYasha on the other hand knew exactly what to say, "So just take off the rosary and everything will be great."

Kagome was no longer confused, she was angry. She stood up and stomped over to InuYasha, "I'm not taking it off you stupid jerk! I can't believe _you_ did this to _me_. I'm going home!"

  
"Kagome, wait!" InuYasha jumped up and started after her, as Kagome started to stomp away, "let me explain!"

"InuYasha SSSS- AAAAAHHHH" she screeched in frustration.

"Don't run away this time Kagome." InuYasha yelled after her, "That's what started this whole thing, you always runaway without answering me!"

Kagome stopped her fit, "That's why you did this? You wanted me to … of course "speak". But what about everything else?"

"Tora said it's a lot of things." InuYasha growled.

"What? InuYasha, tell me what made you think that this would be a good idea?" Kagome put her hands on her hips momentarily, then shook her head, "No, first I need to go home."

"Kagome-" InuYasha started.

"InuYasha it's been almost a month since I was home last." Kagome interrupted, "I need to let them know I'm still alive. And catch up in school."

InuYasha scowled, "Fine, _I'll_ take you home."

"Whatever." Kagome went into Tora's bungalow to retrieve her almost empty bag.

"Well she took that better then I thought." Miroku said as the rest of the group walked up to InuYasha.

"Yeah, you got lucky InuYasha." Shippo said from Miroku's shoulder.

"I don't think this is the end of it." Sango said, "Kagome is only distracted by the need to return to her home. It's a long way back, InuYasha, Kagome may wish to discuss this while you are traveling."

"Keh." InuYasha crossed his arms, he was planing on that. He knew Kagome would drag it all out of him eventually and he didn't want the others around when she did. It was bad enough that they were there when Tora explained it to him.

Kagome returned with her bag over her shoulder. She turned to Dusty and said, "Thanks for everything! And thank Tora for her hospitality."

"Sure." Dusty smiled widely, "Ok, everyone here's where we part. Could you please tell me where I should be right now?"

"Um…" Kagome looked around at the others, "we found you in a village south and west of here. With Kallum… the guy with the headless flowers?"

"Oh!" Dusty's face shown with enlightenment, "Thank you very much. Now all you have to do is take off the crystals and put them anywhere, some one will pick them up."

Everyone bid Dusty goodbye before taking off their crystal passes and placing them on the ground. The farther the crystals were from their bodies the less distinct the resort village was and the less jumpy the natural world they lived in became.

Soon Kagome could hear birds not only singing but also jumping along a branch and preening. She could see every leaf on every tree and into the dark shadows of the forest past the beach. She could smell the sea, the sand, and the sun. Everything was … Technicolor. She couldn't help but laugh and bounce, just a little.

"Hey Kagome!" InuYasha called to her, "Come on, the sooner we get you home the sooner we can get back to shard hunting."

Kagome stopped bouncing, "I'm not going to let you ruin this for me InuYasha. I will enjoy my improved body in spite of you."

"Whatever," InuYasha grumbled, "just get on."

Kagome reluctantly hopped on InuYasha's back. He grabbed her legs and prepared to head off on the several day jog back to Keade's village.

"So," Miroku's grinning voice stopped him, "are you… _comfortable_, InuYasha?"

Kagome's eyes widened in horror and InuYasha blushed hotly.

Sango hit Miroku on the back of the head, "We'll see you later Kagome, InuYasha, just go."

InuYasha did just that, taking off as fast as he could forcing Kagome to hold onto him tightly and preventing her from talking.

"Ow, Sango that was-" Miroku's complaint was cut short by another well-placed blow by the woman he was addressing.

"Idiot." Sango, now sporting Shippo on _her_ shoulder, walked south along the beach, leaving Miroku to recover and catch up on his own.

THE END

*

A/N: So Kagome is still human, just stronger, faster, ect. And the mark will stay on her, as is, for as long as InuYasha wears his enchanted rosary. 

InuYasha didn't exactly wish for her body to become perfect, er optimized, he wanted to "get even" with Kagome. Tora's the one that thought Kagome needed a physical tune up to truly even things out between them, sense they are so physically mismatched. It also gave her an easy way of scaring and disabling Kagome during the catch up. Don't be confused, Kagome is not up there with InuYasha, she's still human, she's just as strong, as fast, ect as any human female has ever been, or will ever be, including those thought of as freaks for their strength, speed, ect.

The questions that Kagome asked herself near the beginning of the epilogue were mostly answered last chapter.

Any more questions? As usual you have two weeks from the posting of this chapter to ask.


	12. Final Question's answer page

****

Final question response page.

First off, the story is complete. Second, there will be a **sequel**, sort of, eventually. But it really doesn't have much to do with this story so it doesn't matter.

The mark isn't a tattoo… Oh wait that reminds me.

This fic was inspired by… a fic whose title I seem to have forgotten -_-; It's very good and well written and I lost track of it some time ago. This fic was inspired by the title of one chapter that I didn't think fit very well to the chapter at the moment. I couldn't tell you that in the beginning because it would have given you a big clue. But the stories really are completely different.

That story has a real tattoo of InuYasha's name on Kagome (in the first chapter). But I wasn't inspired by that. If you know the name, please tell me. I would like to find it again, and give the story and author proper respect here. Um, Kagome has a subduing spell on her in that one, completely different from mine. Trust me. See I didn't think that one was fair. Not that mine is fair, but whatever.

I wasn't going to use the tattoo in my fic, really. But I couldn't think of a better way for an ethereal being to mark and embarrass Kagome. It is in a different place and has an extra word. I thought about putting it somewhere else, but like Tora said that was the best place for it, and jewelry wouldn't be embarrassing to Kagome. So I was stuck with the mark like that.

All right back to my fic. The **mark** isn't a tattoo, and it doesn't look like one. It looks like a birthmark. I guess that it could get her in trouble, but the mark is far enough below her bellybutton that she can hide it easily by avoiding hip huggers and two piece bathing suits and the like.

The mark is so well hidden that most people wouldn't see it, like they wouldn't be able to see anything special about InuYasha's necklace. One difference is that once Kagome uses her subduing spell everyone present would know what the rosary was for, forever, while Kagome's mark would still be hidden.

The **hissing** thing _IS_ only when she try's to say SIT! _and_ she's angry. The rest of the time she can SIT! him. She can yell and argue and stuff when angry perfectly fine. The reason she would stop yelling after she hissed was because she was frustrated at not being able to SIT! Him, and a little freaked out about being unable to say SIT! She didn't say anything because she didn't want InuYasha to know that she couldn't do that. So, no, I didn't give her a real speech impediment. FYI, when I got upset, more when I was younger then now, and couldn't get a word out, I would stick on one letter like that. That's why I had that happen the way I did, and not have her go mute. Also it follows natural rules better.

The only thing that _is_ **permanent** is the physical tune up, that includes the brain by the way, everything else is linked to InuYasha's rosary. When Kagome removes the rosary, the "speak" spell, the hissing (such as it is), and the mark will all disappear. So if she wants to take a different mate then, all she will have to is remove InuYasha's rosary and everything will be fine. I figure she would remove the rosary eventually anyway.

I hope that clears everything up now.

Ghoul King and Corwin, um, the reason I didn't respond to your wonderful uplifting and egomaniacal review… I was tired when I posted and forgot to do a lot of things after tallying up the votes. Thanks for your support.

I think that covers every thing. So now for one of the cut scenes from the story. The only one that happened and got written. Enjoy.

*

InuYasha meets with the dream weaver.

****

"Come in InuYasha, this is no time to get shy." The smooth feminine voice snapped him to attention. Strange voice sounded like … an emerald, smooth and cold and …green?

InuYasha looked around for the first time, he was standing in the doorway of a round room. Like a small cluttered earthen bubble siting were the well should be. He started to turn around to look outside.

"Nothing out there. Just figments of your own psychological state, and a good helping of nonsense," the voice sighed heavily. "You know I am very busy, or could be if I wanted to, and _you_ called this meeting. Come and sit and clear your mind. You will remember why."

InuYasha walked into the strange room. The walls were cluttered with tools and weapons and artifacts, none of which he seemed really able to focus on. "What is this place?" he asked still spaced out.

"My office." The voice continued, "Well, my office, your mind. Don't worry, it doesn't live here, and will be gone before you wake up."

InuYasha turned to the back center of the room. There, behind a semi cluttered table was a shiny woman, shiny hair of indescribable color, shiny skin of indeterminate hue, shiny eyes of … shininess. All that he could tell about this woman was that she was beautiful, powerful, terrifying, peaceful, and above all, shiny. 

"Have a seat, InuYasha, and tell me about your problem." The shiny woman instructed.

InuYasha obeyed, still fuzzy minded.

"Now I can't give you what you want, but I'm the only one you know who can get it for you, at least the only one you know in this realm. And this is the only realm you will ask for this, right InuYasha?" the shiny woman leaned back in her chair. Well, there must have been a chair there for her to lean back into but InuYasha couldn't see it. She smiled, moved forward to lean her elbows on her table, linking the fingers of her hands together she rested her chin on them. "Now, tell me what you want InuYasha."

InuYasha snapped into coherency, an evil gleam coming into his eyes, his mouth pulled up in a snarl, he answered her, savoring the word, "Revenge."

*

That's it for this fic. I hope I eased your mind Ranae.

Oh! If anyone knows of any good mysteries like mine, tell me. I love mysteries.


End file.
